Heart Valve Voice US https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/ Giving a voice to people with heart valve disease Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:08:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cropped-Favicon-32x32.png Heart Valve Voice US https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/ 32 32 Karie Watson https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/karie-watson/ Thu, 06 Nov 2025 15:32:57 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=12048 Can you share your experience with heart valve disease? My husband had a sudden experience on January 20, 2005, at the age of 29. I was at work and five months pregnant with our first child. Fortunately, due to inclement weather, my husband was working from home that day and was able to contact his […]

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]]> Tori Lungren https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/tori-lungren/ Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:02:14 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=12040 Can you share your experience with heart valve disease? My symptoms began subtly – persistent backaches that lasted over a year and a half. Despite visiting a cardiologist and requesting an echocardiogram from my cardiologist, I was repeatedly denied. Eventually, I fought hard enough to get the testing I needed. The results were devastating: my […]

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]]> HVD Policy Task Force Comments on Section 232 Investigation on Imports of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Medical Consumables and Medical Equipment https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/hvd-policy-task-force-comments-on-section-232-investigation-on-imports-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-medical-consumables-and-medical-equipment/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:45:43 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=12036 Dear Secretary Lutnick and Members of the Bureau of Industry and Security: As members of the Heart Valve Disease Policy Task Force, a national group of 30 leaders including clinician and patient advocates, we appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Department’s investigation into the national security implications of medical product imports under Section 232 […]

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]]> Kim Klatt https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/kim-klatt/ Wed, 23 Jul 2025 15:16:10 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=12016 Can you share your experience with heart valve disease? I was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect. Although my mother knew of my diagnosis before I was born in 1976 – no one could predict its full impact. At just three weeks old, I underwent my first bypass surgery so I could […]

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]]> Debra North https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/debra-north/ Fri, 23 May 2025 19:49:42 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=11958 Can you share your experience with heart valve disease? My story is quite convoluted! I was born with a congenital defect (CHD) of the mitral valve. In fact, when my mother was in labor with me, I survived both a heart attack and stroke. As a result, I spent nearly two weeks in the Neonatal […]

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]]> HVD Policy Task Force Comments on CMS’s Proposed National Coverage Decision for T-TEER https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/hvd-policy-task-force-comments-on-cmss-proposed-national-coverage-decision-for-t-teer/ Mon, 12 May 2025 19:54:40 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=11949 Dear Administrator Oz, As members of the Heart Valve Disease Policy Task Force, a national group of 30 leaders including clinician and patient advocacy organizations, we appreciate the opportunity to comment on CMS’s proposed NCD regarding Tricuspid Valve Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (T-TEER), also known as the TriClip G4 System. We wish to emphasize the critical […]

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]]> Christine Rekash https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/christine-rekash/ Mon, 28 Apr 2025 19:59:22 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=11938 Can you share your experience with heart valve disease? I am a survivor of heart valve disease. My journey began at a routine physical when my primary care physician detected a heart murmur. Upon being referred to a specialist, I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse. I was given the option of taking beta blockers […]

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]]> Meghan Holmes https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/meghan-holmes/ Wed, 09 Apr 2025 19:27:01 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=11926 Can you share your experience with heart valve disease? I was born with a unicuspid aortic valve defect. The murmur was heard at birth, and so I always knew I had a ‘heart problem’, that ‘someday I will have to have heart surgery’, and ‘that I shouldn’t exercise too much’. It sounds like I knew […]

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]]> Tina Sampath https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/tina-sampath/ Thu, 27 Feb 2025 22:46:10 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=11913 Can you share your experience with heart valve disease?   I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse as a teenager; however I recall having symptoms for most of my life. I remember telling my mom when I was very young that at night I could hear “soldiers marching, but one of them isn’t doing it right.” […]

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]]> Teresa Wright-Johnson https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/teresa-wright-johnson/ Thu, 27 Feb 2025 22:42:29 +0000 https://www.heartvalvevoice-us.org/?p=11910 Can you share your experience with heart valve disease? I was born with a heart murmur, and my parents quickly began to search for a diagnosis. They soon discovered that I had an aortic valve defect, and I was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Throughout my journey with heart valve disease, I had three open […]

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