TAVR PH@100

may lead one into a treatment option, not the radical treatment Steve Jobs and Steve McQueen sought, but surgeries like TAVR that can treat the “inoperable”. Options that are really viable.

In my case, I dreaded the openheart mode of repairing my damaged aortic valve. I have a serious and long-drawn case (more than 20 years) of diabetes. I have had two coronary angioplasties. I was absent during the distribution of genetic gifts. I was really forced to look for other options. That led me to TAVR.

A townmate from Lubao, Pampanga, Mr. Bert Lingad, preceded me at TAVR operating table. In a - dent and hopeful, he narrated his story which I can call “his TAVR leap of faith”.

Of course, you cannot guarantee the outcome. You always remember this line from the Beatles: Some are dead and some are living. But, at the very least, you get quality medical treatment.

From the realm of the personal, I have no idea whether the prosthetic valve can hold. There have been minor leaks in my plugging with medicine. On June 15, 2017, I marked one full year of having a prosthetic valve. I am praying for 10 more years but I can settle for seven.

Tender mercies, you know. And nothing can top this: Better than dead.