Anyone who knows Maureen “Mo” S. knows she’s always been an active and high-energy person.
Born and raised in Altoona, her weekly routine involves volunteering at the nearby veteran’s medical center, working part-time at a grocery store, getting her nails done, shopping, running around town, visiting with neighbors and loved ones, and making sure she’s in front of the television when her favorite football team, the Kansas City Chiefs, is playing.
“I don’t stop for anything — I love to go and do things,” says Mo, 80, a former hairstylist and bartender. “I’m a people lover, and I enjoy being around everybody and being on the move.”
Around 15 years ago, one of Mo’s doctors detected a heart murmur during a routine exam. After additional testing, her doctors monitored her condition closely.
For a while, the murmur didn’t affect Mo’s ability to move around at the speedy pace she enjoys. But about five years ago, she started noticing changes.
From On-the-Go to Naps and Dizziness
At first, Mo started experiencing physical symptoms that slowed her down and made her feel a bit off.
“One day, I had trouble walking in a park with my husband,” Mo says. “I said, ‘I can’t walk. I can’t do this.’ So, I called my doctor’s office to see someone the next day.”
Mo’s cardiologist at the time determined she needed a stent placed in a branch artery in her heart. A stent helps keep the artery open and improves blood flow.
But after the procedure, Mo didn’t feel the improvement she was hoping for.
“I noticed I wasn’t feeling myself and I wanted to relax more,” Mo says. “I found myself sitting down and falling asleep a lot. And that just wasn’t me.”
She started noticing her high-energy ways decreasing in more serious ways, too. The 20 steps to her apartment — normally an easy walk that she managed several times a day — started to become an arduous task.
“I would find myself out of breath and need to take breaks. I’d tell my husband, Dave, to go on without me,” Mo recalls.
Then, she began to experience new symptoms, such as feeling off-balance and dizzy. Because her previous cardiologist was no longer seeing patients, Mo was encouraged to see UPMC cardiologist George Y. Jabbour, MD.
While Mo was seeing Dr. Jabbour as a new patient, this wasn’t the first time she had met him.
“Eight years ago, Dr. Jabbour treated Dave’s aortic valve,” Mo says. “And Dave had no issues — he came back perfect. Dave was the one who kept encouraging me, kept reminding me that I’d be fine.”
Dr. Jabbour recommended transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) surgery. As her condition worsened and she got scared, Mo knew it was time to take Dr. Jabbour’s advice.
“I called him and said, ‘I’m ready to have this surgery,’” Mo says.
Dr. Jabbour’s office scheduled her surgery for a few weeks later, at the end of January 2025. Mo went about surgery preparations, which included having two teeth pulled, getting bloodwork, and reading up on the valve she would soon have inserted into her heart.
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
TAVR involves replacing a diseased heart valve with an artificial valve. The new valve increases blood flow, supporting breathing, energy, and overall heart function.
The small incision needed for TAVR is located in the groin area. There, a flexible tube known as a catheter and a deflated balloon are inserted through a blood vessel.
- The catheter is advanced through the body to the damaged heart valve. The balloon is inflated to stretch the valve opening.
- Then the balloon is deflated and guided down the vessel and out of the body.
- A new catheter containing the new artificial heart valve is then inserted, threaded back up the blood vessel, and positioned into the damaged heart valve.
- The catheter releases the new artificial valve once it’s in place. The artificial valve remains, taking over as the new, working heart valve.
- The catheter is withdrawn, and the incision is closed.
This minimally invasive procedure is a great alternative to traditional open-heart surgery. It is associated with faster recovery times and shorter hospital stays.
A Quick and Impressive Recovery
Mo was in and out of surgery in under a half-hour and woke up from anesthesia feeling completely herself.
“I thought I had taken a nap!” she jokes. “They woke me up, and I couldn’t believe it was already over.”
Mo recovered quickly at UPMC Altoona thanks to the attention offered by her care team.
“Everyone was helpful and thorough, always explaining what they were doing and making me feel tended to,” she says. “I was thrilled to be staying overnight in a hospital, and you don’t always hear that. I almost didn’t want to leave!”
When she returned home, Mo was determined to stay active and keep moving.
“I have a big hall in my apartment. I can walk,” she says.
Mo put on a bit of makeup and found the right outfit for her departure. When her sister picked her up and offered to help her carry her things, Mo stopped her.
“Don’t start babying me now,” she warned.
And Mo was right — she was driving her car within three days of the surgery. She was back to work within two weeks, feeling as fabulous as she had when she was 50.
Finding Connection
For Mo, having world-renowned care close to home made all the difference.
“I am so grateful to have Dr. Jabbour and his fantastic staff nearby,” Mo says. “He is so nonchalant and casual, yet so hardworking and always sticking by everybody’s side.”
Today, Mo is back to her busy self: running around town, working, and managing the steps the way she did 30 years ago.
At the end of the day, her hospital experience was more comfortable than she thought it could be.
“I’ve never had so many people give me that kind of attention,” she says. “I really don’t think I would be here today if it weren’t for everyone at UPMC Altoona — I’d do it all over again!”