Aaron Downes

In 2022 I was undergoing surgery on my wrist and this was the start of figuring out there was an underlying condition, they noticed some regurgitation in my heart following the anaesthesia and so a referral was made to cardiology. 1 year later, after further symptoms like slow heart, palpitations and shortness of breath again, I attended a&e with my symptoms. There were many appointments, multiple CT scans &  MRI's done and it turned out I had a Bicuspid aortic valve, meaning it did not develop properly in the womb. This caused my heart to be under severe pressure as time went on, trying to help blood flow in the correct direction but with regurgitation, it had to try even harder. In turn my heart was constantly working over time except when i slept and my heartrate dropped very low. Me, not being aware of all of this previously meant I didn't focus much on it, I had habits of smoking, drinking, and not looking after myself, putting more strain on it. Between May and November of 2024 my aorta had increased by about 3% and i moved into the critical range as if it kept doing what I was doing, the damage would have been fatal. Before surgery i had to do a breathing test, which was confirmed I no longer have asthma and any symptoms of asthma over the last decade or so was my heart.

In April 2025 I went in for open heart surgery in the Mater Hospital who were fantastic. I chose to get a mechanical valve on my aorta instead of a tissue valve, which means I am on warfarin for long term (life). I am eternally grateful for the surgeons and cardiologists who helped me be where I am today and with that, I am going to try and raise money for the Irish Heart Foundation, so hopefully issues that I experienced can be seen and dealt with in others promptly as I was extremely lucky. 

Please feel free to donate anything you can, and I will ensure to keep on my target and complete the 100km in February, I'm looking forward to getting started and starting my life again along with helping a great cause!