💙 Did you like what you saw from Aortic Hope this September? Throughout #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth, we’ve worked hard to educate, connect, support, and bring HOPE to the aortic disease community. If our posts taught you something, helped you feel less alone, or gave you information worth sharing, please consider making a donation to help us continue this work 365 days a year. https://bit.ly/AorticHopeDonation ❤️ 100% of your donations go directly toward our initiatives, in

📚❤️ LOVE A GOOD BOOK? We’ve got something for you! For #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth, take a look at Aortic Hope’s Reading Resources—a collection created with our community in mind. https://www.aortichope.org/post/reading-resources-by-the-community-for-the-community And this isn’t just a list of medical books! 📖 Poetry that puts the emotions of this journey into words. ❤️ Memoirs & personal stories from people who have lived it. 🫀 Patient guides that help make aortic diseas

It's #AorticDiseaeAwarenessMonth and today we are talking about "𝗣𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱": 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆?~ Emmanuel Mbaka You survived the operation. Your incision is healing. You are walking a little farther. Maybe you are finally sleeping in your own bed again. But something still doesn't feel quite right. You walk into a room and forget why you went there. You start a sentence and struggle to find

💙It's #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and today is about WHY AORTIC HOPE and HOPE MAIL? Because sometimes, you just need to know someone understands. An aortic diagnosis can leave patients and families feeling overwhelmed, frightened, and alone. Aortic Hope was created by survivors and caregivers who understand that journey—and believe no one should have to walk it alone. 📬 Introducing 𝑯𝑶𝑷𝑬 𝑴𝑨𝑰𝑳 𝑯𝑶𝑷𝑬 𝑴𝑨𝑰𝑳 is our way of putting that support directly into the han

❤️🫀 TODAY IS #AORTICDISSECTIONAWARENESSDAY! 🫀❤️ And during #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth, we can think of no better day to share something incredibly special… 🎉 𝑨𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆’𝒔 8𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒍 “𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑰𝑺 𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑯𝑶𝑷𝑬 𝑳𝑶𝑶𝑲𝑺 𝑳𝑰𝑲𝑬” 𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒐—𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒀𝑶𝑼! 🎉 And yes…a few adorable pets made it in too! 🐾❤️ Aortic dissection is serious. We know that not every story has the ending we desperately wish it did, and today we remember those

It's #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and #AorticDissectionAwarenessWeek. Today Emmanuel Mbaka, The African Perfusionist teaches us 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼 𝗪𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆? There is one organ we think about constantly during complex aortic surgery. The brain. Your brain depends on a continuous supply of oxygenated blood. But there is something important about the anatomy: the arteries carrying blood toward the brain arise from th

It's #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and #AorticDissectionAwarenessWeek. Today, Emmanuel Mbaka, The African Perfusionist will explain: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗪𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆? Imagine being told before your operation: “During your surgery, we will cool your body.” That statement alone can sound frightening. You might immediately ask: “How cold are you going to make me?” In complex aortic surgery, particularly when we are operating

🧬🫀 NEW BLOG ALERT: AORTIC SCIENCE MADE EASY! Research can be fascinating…but let’s face it, sometimes reading a published medical study can feel like you need a medical degree just to get through the first paragraph! 🤯 That’s exactly why we created Aortic Science Made Easy—and our newest medical blogger, Aditi Darodkar, is kicking things off with a topic MANY survivors ask about: 💪 EXERCISE AFTER AORTIC DISSECTION. Her first article, “Exercise May Not Be a No-Go for Aorti

🏡❤️ THE WORDS YOU’VE BEEN WAITING TO HEAR: “YOU’RE GOING HOME!” After aortic surgery, there are milestones that feel HUGE—the first time sitting up, the first walk down the hallway, getting tubes and lines removed…and then comes one of the best: GOING HOME! 🎉 Walking out of the hospital is absolutely something to celebrate. You’ve been through major surgery, long days, interrupted nights, countless vital checks and probably more hospital food than you ever wanted. 😉 But di

❤️ WHAT HAPPENS AFTER AORTIC SURGERY? You’ve made it through surgery—but what happens next? In his latest The African Perfusionist post, Emmanuel Mbaka walks patients and families through one of the biggest questions surrounding recovery: “What Should I Expect During My First Week in the Hospital? The First Days After Aortic Surgery” From waking up in the ICU and understanding all those tubes and monitors, to getting out of bed, walking the halls, managing pain, breathing exe

AORTIC VALVE DISEASE: WHAT IS IT AND HOW IS IT TREATED? Your aortic valve may be small, but it has a HUGE responsibility! Located between the heart’s left ventricle and the aorta, the aortic valve opens with each heartbeat to allow blood to leave the heart and enter the aorta—and then closes to prevent blood from flowing backward. A typical native aortic valve has three leaflets, called a tricuspid aortic valve. Some people, however, are born with a congenital difference such

🎥🫀𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗕𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗛𝗧𝗩? Because sometimes the BEST way to understand aortic disease is to hear directly from the experts who treat it every day! In recognition of #AorticValveDiseaseAwarenessDay, check out 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗔𝗛𝗧𝗩 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗿. 𝗠𝗲𝗵𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗱 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗻,, dedicated to AORTIC VALVE DISEASE! ❤️ https://youtu.be/dlrgs4ib7yA?si=HYIijg1X7b1GrjFH Whether y

A typical native aortic valve has three leaflets, called a tricuspid aortic valve. But some people are born with a congenital heart difference affecting the aortic valve. 🫀❤️ LET’S TALK ABOUT THE AORTIC VALVE! For #AorticValveDiseaseAwarenessDay, during #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and #AorticDissectionAwarenessMonth, let’s shine a light on the valve that serves as the gateway between your heart and your aorta! A typical native aortic valve has three leaflets, called a tricu

🫵 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. ⭐❤️ 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟭𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 has been sharing the real stories of patients, survivors, and caregivers—because sometimes hearing “I’ve been there” is exactly what someone needs. Whether it’s Aortic Valve Disease, an Aortic Aneurysm, or an Aortic Dissection, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, �

💙AORTIC DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH SPECIAL EVENT💙 Moderate Exertion Exercise After Aortic Dissection: A New Study September 10, 2026 at 7pm ET Presented by Jack Crowe of Aortic Athletes & Aortic Hope What if exercise after an aortic dissection could be more than just allowed—what if it could be an important part of living well after dissection? Join us for a very special conversation about a groundbreaking new study examining the safety of moderate-exertion exercise following

🫀❤️ It's #AorticDisesaseAwarenessMonth and time to THINK AORTA. THINK FAMILY. ❤️🫀 Two simple phrases. But behind them is a BIGGER mission: saving lives through awareness. 𝗦𝗼…𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮 focuses on what happens 𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 the diagnosis—helping emergency physicians, first responders and healthcare professionals recognize that unexplained chest, back, neck o

💊🫀 It is #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and we are discussing MEDICATIONS, MEDICATIONS, MEDICATIONS! 🫀💊 If you live with aortic disease, chances are your medicine cabinet has become a little more… interesting! 😂 Beta blockers? ACE inhibitors? ARBs? Blood thinners? Statins? Diuretics? And what exactly does each one DO? 🤔 Aortic Hope is here to help you make sense of it! 🎓 Check out our presentation with Dr. Kristin Watson, Doctor of Pharmacy, where she breaks down common

♥️ It's #AorticDiseaseAwareness month! Unlike emergency aortic dissection surgery, most surgeries are elective. Today, we are starting a series: Inside Aortic Surgery written by Emmanuel Mbaka, "The African Perfusionist" 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 When you are told that you need aortic surgery, your mind can immediately jump to the operating room. You may start imagining the surgeon, the anesthesia, the heart-lung machine, and every

🎉❤️ AORTIC DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH STARTS TODAY❤️🎉 September is going to be BIG! We’re filling the month with education, connection, Q&As, survivor stories, contests, giveaways—and HOPE! And this year, we’re putting #ASAP front and center: ❤️ Awareness Saves Aortas. Period. Help us turn Facebook RED! Starting September 1 (or start now!), use our profile frame to spread awareness. Want a frame added to your own photo? Email it to carin@aortichope.org and we’ll get you set up

💙Join us for Therapeutic Thursday, hosted by community member, survivor, and therapist John Quick. This week's guest is Bonit Sharma. Available NOW on AHTV, Aortic Hope's YouTube channel HERE. ❤️If you’re ready to share your experience and help others on this journey, we would be honored to feature you. SIGN UP HERE. 💕Because healing happens when we talk about it. "In 2006, I suffered an aortic dissection (Type A). Lifesaving OHS replaced my aortic valve and my aorta was