**Abstract**

This is the story about a person now in his 80s. He was born with a congenital aortic valve defect. Over his lifetime, the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease improved dramatically. Recently, the author corresponded with a number of patients undergoing heart valve replacements today and found all to be concerned about how long they would live and complications they would have with a replacement valve. The author's experiences should help put valve replacement recipients' minds at ease and help physicians address their patients worries and concerns. He describes procedures from the patient's perspective for implanting a pacemaker, getting an ablation, and being evaluated for a TAVR. The author is living in the third year with his replacement valve. He is on his 40th year with a pacemaker. He found modern medicine and physicians to be miraculous in many ways and is grateful for the added years given to his life.

**Keywords:** TAVR, aortic heart valve defects, pacemaker, ablation, echocardiogram, catheterization
