[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/01\/maureen-heart-valve-replacement-story\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/01\/maureen-heart-valve-replacement-story\/","headline":"Life After Heart Valve Replacement \u2013 Maureen\u2019s Story","name":"Life After Heart Valve Replacement \u2013 Maureen\u2019s Story","description":"

After a heart valve problem caused Mo dizziness, fatigue, and other symptoms, she underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) at UPMC Altoona.<\/p>","datePublished":"2026-01-13","dateModified":"2026-01-13","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/transplant","name":"Transplant Services","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/transplant","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/transplant-services\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2181979455-e1768322172546.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2181979455-e1768322172546.jpg","height":576,"width":1320},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/01\/maureen-heart-valve-replacement-story\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Transplant"],"wordCount":1049,"articleBody":"Anyone who knows Maureen \u201cMo\u201d S. knows she\u2019s always been an active and high-energy person.Born and raised in Altoona, her weekly routine involves volunteering at the nearby veteran\u2019s 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\u2019s in front of the television when her favorite football team, the Kansas City Chiefs, is playing.\u201cI don\u2019t stop for anything \u2014 I love to go and do things,\u201d says Mo, 80, a former hairstylist and bartender. \u201cI\u2019m a people lover, and I enjoy being around everybody and being on the move.”Around 15 years ago, one of Mo\u2019s doctors detected a heart murmur during a routine exam. After additional testing, her doctors monitored her condition closely.For a while, the murmur didn\u2019t affect Mo\u2019s 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 DizzinessAt first, Mo started experiencing physical symptoms that slowed her down and made her feel a bit off.\u201cOne day, I had trouble walking in a park with my husband,\u201d Mo says. \u201cI said, \u2018I can\u2019t walk. I can\u2019t do this.\u2019 So, I called my doctor\u2019s office to see someone the next day.\u201dMo\u2019s 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\u2019t feel the improvement she was hoping for.\u201cI noticed I wasn\u2019t feeling myself and I wanted to relax more,\u201d Mo says. \u201cI found myself sitting down and falling asleep a lot. And that just wasn\u2019t me.\u201dShe started noticing her high-energy ways decreasing in more serious ways, too. The 20 steps to her apartment \u2014 normally an easy walk that she managed several times a day \u2014 started to become an arduous task.\u201cI would find myself out of breath and need to take breaks. I\u2019d tell my husband, Dave, to go on without me,\u201d 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\u2019t the first time she had met him.\u201cEight years ago, Dr. Jabbour treated Dave\u2019s aortic valve,\u201d Mo says. \u201cAnd Dave had no issues \u2014 he came back perfect. Dave was the one who kept encouraging me, kept reminding me that I\u2019d be fine.\u201dDr. 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\u2019s advice.\u201cI called him and said, \u2018I\u2019m ready to have this surgery,\u2019\u201d 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 RecoveryMo was in and out of surgery in under a half-hour and woke up from anesthesia feeling completely herself.\u201cI thought I had taken a nap!\u201d she jokes. \u201cThey woke me up, and I couldn\u2019t believe it was already over.\u201dMo recovered quickly at UPMC Altoona thanks to the attention offered by her care team.\u201cEveryone was helpful and thorough, always explaining what they were doing and making me feel tended to,\u201d she says. \u201cI was thrilled to be staying overnight in a hospital, and you don\u2019t always hear that. I almost didn\u2019t want to leave!\u201dWhen she returned home, Mo was determined to stay active and keep moving.\u201cI have a big hall in my apartment. I can walk,\u201d 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.\u201cDon\u2019t start babying me now,\u201d she warned.And Mo was right \u2014 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 ConnectionFor Mo, having world-renowned care close to home made all the difference.\u201cI am so grateful to have Dr. Jabbour and his fantastic staff nearby,\u201d Mo says. \u201cHe is so nonchalant and casual, yet so hardworking and always sticking by everybody\u2019s side.\u201dToday, 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.\u201cI\u2019ve never had so many people give me that kind of attention,\u201d she says. \u201cI really don\u2019t think I would be here today if it weren\u2019t for everyone at UPMC Altoona \u2014 I\u2019d do it all over again!\u201dSourceshttps:\/\/www.heart.org\/en\/health-topics\/heart-valve-problems-and-disease\/understanding-your-heart-valve-treatment-options\/what-is-tavr"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2026","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"01","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/\/01\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Life After Heart Valve Replacement \u2013 Maureen\u2019s Story","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/01\/maureen-heart-valve-replacement-story\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]