Medical History

  Steve was born with three major birth defects: Atrial septal defect, (unroofed coronary sinus) Transposition of the great vessels, and Trilogy of Fallot. Atrial septal defect is a hole in the wall in the two upper chambers of your heart usually.  Steve's ASD was in his main blood supply to his heart. it was called "unroofed Coronary Sinus".  It is the rarest type of atrial septal defect.  It was not giving his heart the blood it needed to function correctly.  Transposition of the great vessels is exactly what it sounds like, re-arrangement of the great vessels: superior and/or inferior venae cava, pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins, and aorta. Lastly, Steve was diagnosed with Trilogy of Fallot, which is a congenital heart defect that causes problems with the heart structure as well as the blood flow throughout the heart. It consists of the following defects: pulmonary valve stenosis, right ventricular hypertrophy, and atrial septal defect.

  Steve had his first open heart surgery when he was three years old, in 1970. This surgical repair consisted of atrial septal defect closure and reconstruction of coronary sinus leaving the LSVC draining through the coronary sinus into the right atrium. In 2000, Steve developed Atrial fibrillation which is an irregular heart rate that commonly causes poor blood flow. His heart was beating 295 beats per minute for four straight days. In 2002, Steve's first recorded Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter occurred. Another was recorded in 2012. In 2008, at the age of 41, Steve received a pacemaker implantation. Steve, his wife, Linda, and his grand-daughter, Tori had the opportunity in October 25, 2017 to visit the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and had several test done. The doctors were shocked to find that Steve had grown three feeder veins, to give him just enough blood to sustain life. After a few days, Steve was sent back to Texas with not many answers.

In early March of 2018, Steve, and Linda returned to the Mayo Clinic due to several months of extreme fatigue and exertional dyspnea. Steve was unable to perform his work and had to go to a temporary desk job. Dr. Said was set up to perform open heart, reconstruction and revision of the coronary sinus which was 100% blocked. A few hours before the surgery, it was called off due to high fatality risk. It would have done more harm than good. Steve's final diagnosis' are: large atrial septal defect, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, sinus node dysfunction, bicuspid aortic valve, and he carries a pacemaker. Steve is undergoing intense rehab to minimize the effect of his diagnosis. Despite his diagnosis, Steve is an outgoing, compassionate, and dedicated man. A few heart issues aren't going to stop him from accomplishing his goals.