🥄❤️ It's #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and today we are talking about SPOONS - HOW MANY SPOONS DO YOU HAVE TODAY? Ever heard of Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino? It’s a simple way of describing the limited amount of physical and emotional energy we may have available each day. For someone living with aortic disease, recovering from surgery, managing medications, dealing with fatigue, attending appointments—or simply carrying the mental weight of “what if?”—everyday tasks

📚❤️ 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

TODAY...IS BIG! Just in time for #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and as we begin the journey into the emotional side of Aortic Disease, we want to premier a "documentary" created by Carin Andersen, Founder and Board Chair of Aortic Hope and President of Think Aorta US. Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability. My Journey Back to Open Heart Surgery ~ Carin Andersen https://youtu.be/Ybe7pNy0vPM ❤️ I knew what open-heart surgery looked like. But knowing what to expect didn't pr

It's #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and time to focus on the CARE PARTNERS! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻-𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 ~ Emmanuel Mbaka "The African Perfusioist" We talk a lot about the person lying on the operating table. But what about the person sitting in the waiting room? The spouse. The parent. The child. The sibling. The friend. The person refreshing th

💙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

YOU DON’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN HERE. Living with aortic disease can sometimes feel like speaking a language that very few people understand: -The fear. -The waiting. -The scans. -The surgeries. -The medications. -The “is this normal?” moments. -The recovery that doesn’t always look like recovery. And the life after the crisis that no one really prepared you for. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗹𝗲𝗱. Because no one unders

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, �

In honor of #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and #AortcDissectionAwarenessWeek, eight leading aortic-awareness organizations unite to amplify life-saving stories during Aortic Dissection Awareness Week In honor of #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and #AortcDissectionAwarenessWeek, eight leading aortic-awareness organizations unite to amplify life-saving stories during Aortic Dissection Awareness WeekGoal: Raising awareness through storytelling, education and collective action Marylan

THIS #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth & #AorticDissectionAwarenessWeek, IT’S TIME TO SHIFT THE DYNAMIC. Not a power struggle. A power balance. For too many people living with aortic disease, healthcare can feel like this: -We explain what’s wrong. -They tell us what to do. -We nod politely. -We hold back the questions we really want to ask. -We leave—and sometimes end up right back where we started. Sound familiar? When you’re living with aortic disease, that cycle can be frustra

Hello everyone! I’m Alvaro, and welcome back to #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth. Today we’re going to tackle a question that many patients ask about aortic disease: “🔎 How Do We See Aortic Disease?” The aorta is the largest artery in the human body, but we cannot diagnose most aortic diseases simply by looking at the patient. Aortic aneurysms, dissections, intramural hematomas, and other aortic conditions can develop silently, sometimes without producing any symptoms until a li

💙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