Able to Carry His Daughter
“I wasn’t able to carry my own children, walk upstairs or carry a bag,” recounts 35-year-old Edgar Pacheco, who was born with a congenital heart defect and has had numerous open-heart surgeries. “I had a leaky valve in my heart, and it was getting worse and worse. I had the MitraClip procedure done two months ago and I feel a big difference. I feel 15 years younger. The procedure took six hours, but they didn’t have to open me up. They went in through the femoral artery. I’m the first young person to have the procedure done. I didn’t know if it would be possible with how complicated my heart is but my doctors saved my life. No matter where I’m at or where I’m living, I will always come to UCLA Health.”
Related Posts

A recent study reveals link between blood pressure and risk of heart attacks

“My dad was 54 years old when he passed away,” says Porchia Toussaint, who was 31 when she learned her dad had stage 4 colon [...]

“My new primary care physician was shocked that I hadn’t had a colonoscopy yet,” says 62-year-old James Weatherall, who chose UCLA Health for his medical [...]