“The research conducted by the Baird Institute is truly remarkable, and I was honoured to be a part of it.”
Late one July night in 2017, I crawled into bed, and as my body relaxed, I felt a thump from the inside of my chest. It was my heart, of course. Over the next two weeks, I noticed this irregular thump more frequently. Initially, I thought it was due to my coffee intake. As a freelance camera operator, I often had to wake up early and work long days, requiring extra caffeine to get going. I wondered, ‘Should my heart take such a big beat, and more importantly, is this normal?’ I wasn’t one to hesitate consulting my GP, who immediately suspected something was wrong.
I spent 24 hours wearing a Holter monitor and underwent an echocardiogram.
I was promptly referred to cardiologist Prof. Michelle McGrady at Central Sydney Cardiology. To my surprise, I discovered I had a leaky aortic valve. This meant the valve wasn’t closing properly, allowing blood to flow back into my heart.
Surgery was inevitable; it wasn’t a matter of if, but when.
Fast forward to May 2024, during a routine check-up with Prof. McGrady, I learned that the size of the dilation had worsened. There was more regurgitation, and my heart was working harder to expel the excess blood.
To clarify, apart from the irregular heartbeat, I had no other symptoms. Prof. McGrady referred me to surgeon Prof. Paul Bannon. In contrast to anyone I’ve ever met, Prof. Bannon made me feel completely at ease about having heart surgery. In fact, I was eager to undergo the surgery and resolve this issue.
Through this introduction, I discovered The Baird Institute. I was asked to participate in a trial investigating stiff heart syndrome. This meant taking a supplement or placebo in the month leading up to surgery and undergoing a biopsy during surgery while my valve was being replaced. The research conducted by the Baird Institute is truly remarkable, and I was honoured to be a part of it.
Those initial days in the Intensive Care Unit were both mentally and physically demanding, and few things can adequately prepare you for such a challenging experience. However, thanks to the exceptional skills and dedication of Prof. Bannon’s team and the brilliant staff on the Cardiovascular Ward, I was discharged and back home within five days of my surgery.
The Baird Institute is a leading research centre dedicated to pioneering advancements in heart and lung surgery. It relies entirely on private donations to fund its research activities conducted at the Charles Perkins Centre located at the University of Sydney next to RPAH. The more they learn, the greater their positive impact on people’s lives, just like the impact they have had on mine.
