Jymme Golden: Aortic Valve

Jymme Golden enjoys painting, birding, kayaking and taking walks through nature. Recently retired from a 27-year career of being a massage therapist, Jymme began experiencing signs and symptoms that her heart wasn’t able to pump the blood and oxygen needed to feel energized and healthy – though this wasn’t her first experience with these symptoms.

Jymme was born with a congenital defect in her heart valve, and had her aortic valve replaced 20 years ago at the young age of 45. More recently, she felt tired and out of breath and had to remind herself that this wasn’t just because she was getting older. Under the guidance of Dr. Vinnie Bapat, the interdisciplinary team at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute carefully evaluated Jymme’s options and decided that the best route for her was to undergo her second open heart surgery to replace her degenerating homograft that was implanted 20 years ago.

While we often talk about the innovation in new technologies that allow for minimally invasive procedures, in Jymme’s special case even surgical options have significantly advanced because of cardiovascular research. Learn more about Jymme’s story and the research that takes place at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation Valve Science Center.