By Jerry Robinson
In 1977, at the age of 34 years, I was diagnosed with a congenital valve abnormality known as a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV).
At the time, I was feeling well, but was told that some time down the road I would definitely need the valve replaced. I had been exercising pretty regularly since 1973, but after the diagnosis, and on the recommendation of my trainer, I began to switch from weight lifting to incorporate more aerobic activities (including running) into my regimen.
I became hooked on running. By 1984, I had completed several 10Ks and two half-marathons and was feeling great.
In 1986, the City of Los Angeles presented the first running of the LA Marathon. I got caught up in the hype and decided to run the race. I was not trained, and ended up hitting the wall at mile 20 (but still finished with a time of 3 hours, 59 minutes and 5 seconds, despite being radically dehydrated and needing medical attention!).
After I recovered, I continued to advance and improve my training, running the LA Marathon every year and also participating in other marathons, including New York, San Francisco, Palos Verdes and Long Beach.
In 1996, while on a training run, I suddenly experienced the first overt symptoms of my aortic valve problem.
I was severely short of breath, lightheaded and sweating. I tried to rest, but every time I started to run again, the symptoms came back. I thought that I might not make it home.
I visited several cardiologists and obtained many “second opinions,” all of which pointed to the fact that my valve was leaking badly and needed to be replaced. However, I was scared to death about going through surgery at the time. I finally underwent an angiogram by a great cardiologist, Dr. Nakano, and he referred me to Dr. John Child at UCLA.
Dr. Child sensed that I was not ready to undergo valve replacement surgery and continued to manage me with medicines, keeping me on a training program that was not overly aggressive, yet still allowed me to run the LA Marathon in March 1997 while taking things very easy.
A few months after the 1997 race, Dr. Hillel Laks replaced my valve with a homograft tissue valve. Once I recovered, I continued my marathon training and was able to maintain my legacy runner status (a total of 28 consecutive Los Angeles Marathons) through March 2013.
In July of 2013, I began to experience symptoms that caused me to suspect that my homograft aortic valve was failing. Keep in mind that tissue-type valves only last for an average of 10-15 years. Mine had lasted 16, so I considered that a one-year bonus!
Tests confirmed the need for valve replacement, and on August 14 I had my second valve surgery. Repeat surgeries are much more difficult, and mine was no exception, but once again Dr. Laks did a great job, placing a bovine tissue valve.
I started my marathon training the next day, getting out of bed and walking for several laps around the unit! I went home three days later and returned to work on August 26, my 70th birthday.
At my first follow-up visit with Dr. Laks and Dr. Aboulhosn, my valve was working great and I was given the go ahead to increase my exercise. I resumed training with the L.A. LEGGERS running club, preparing for the 29th running of the marathon on March 9, 2014.
Because of knee problems, I’ll be speed walking rather than running, but I’ll be there!
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