Stories of Gratitude

Sharon Ruttger, 79, had a history of heart murmurs and atrial fibrillation, for which she had been taking medication and also undergone cardioversion procedures to “shock” her heart back into rhythm. While she occasionally felt fatigued, she was still able to go about her normal activities, but she eventually began feeling more tired than usual.

You know that feeling when you’ve finished a big project and you’re ready to enjoy a little relaxation? Jim Lamont was almost there. He had just completed a good stretch of work as a home builder in Clear Lake, IA and was ready to settle into a well-deserved vacation when he suffered a heart attack that required bypass surgery.

At age 88, Barbara Howell was initially a little indecisive about getting her aortic valve replaced. She’d had a heart murmur for several years and knew that a series of echocardiograms over the period of a year showed the condition of her aortic valve was worsening, but she didn’t have significant symptoms and was otherwise in good health.

Arley Larson is not the type of person to give up easily. So when he was offered the opportunity to participate in a clinical research trial at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation for a new device to treat his worsening heart failure, he naturally didn’t hesitate at all.

Ashley was 16-years-old when she had trouble catching her breath and struggled to make it up the stairs. Knowing something was wrong, her mother quickly drove to the ER to discover Ashley had a congenital heart condition that would affect her for the rest of her life.