My father had an undiagnosed bicuspid aortic valve. He collapsed while swimming when he was in his early 60’s, thankfully in the shallow end of the pool. He was pulled out unresponsive by lifeguards, brought to a hospital, and thank God woke up. A few weeks later and at a better hospital than our local one, he has a porcine valve installed. That lasted about 20 years. Thanks to his preference to avoid doctors during COVID, a few medical issues occurred simultaneously and the worst ended up happening - endocarditis, or an infection of the heart around this replaced valve. He almost died a second time last year from this, but he survived emergency open heart surgery that replaced the valve and cut away a section of infected aorta.

Until this year he would always swears that he was the unluckiest person. Now he’s 82 and still alive after all this and he feels lucky.

Go to your doctors regularly, get screened, and don’t put off procedures until they’re an emergency.