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Born in Germany in 1925, Johanna Ronald has experienced a life more diverse than most. She moved to the United States in the late 1940’s and has lived in Brevard ever since. Her former husband was an engineer at Kennedy Space Center for many years. Her independence is something she’s always valued and staying active with personal hobbies like photography, volunteering and visiting her children and grandchildren keep her days busy and filled with meaning. That is why when she experienced exhaustion, shortness of breath and trouble sleeping, she knew something wasn’t right.

When these symptoms became more severe at age 90, Johanna sought advice from her cardiologist Dr. Hong Jeong at the Viera Heart & Vascular Clinic. She was immediately referred to Health First cardiologist Dr. Cesar Jara who performed a few tests. It was then discovered that her heart valves were not functioning properly and she was a good candidate for a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) surgery.

Faced with this news, and having experienced heart troubles in the past, Johanna was uncertain of the outcome. “I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “I just hoped this procedure would give me back a life worth living again.”

On October 19, 2015, Dr. Matthew Campbell, Dr. Jara and the highly-skilled valve clinic team performed the rather complex TAVR procedure on Johanna, but that wasn’t the end of the road for her. She was also treated for an arrhythmia and atrial fibrillation, related to her advanced age and long standing valvular disease. Over the course of the following week, Johanna underwent several procedures, including cardioversion and pacemaker placed by Dr. Jeong, then a cardiac ablation by Dr. Audrius Bredikis. She recovered at a local rehabilitation facility for several weeks following these procedures.

Luckily, because of the skill of her surgical team, these issues were treated quickly, getting her heart back in top shape. “I feel like myself again,” Johanna says with enthusiasm. “The cardiac team at Health First did a wonderful job. It was a first-class experience.”

Today, Johanna is able to do everything she enjoys with no heart trouble at all. She gives all the credit for her regained heart health to the intuitive cardiologists and skilled surgeons at Health First.

“They gave me a new life,” she said with confidence. That is probably the highest compliment anyone could give, but Johanna is truly a grateful – and now, heart-healthy – patient.

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JOHANNA’S STORY