TeamT has joined with
Swami's Cycling
to challenge in the
"Race Across America"
24 Hour Challenge on
June 8, 2008.
Click here to read all about it.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Team T was formed to celebrate Tonya Henderson-Meyer and her return to health after open heart surgery in August 2005. Tonya is a pediatrician and mother of four children who loves to run. Tonya was on her way to running her first marathon in 2005 when she hit a bump in the road. Shortly after her successful San Diego half-marathon in January 2005, she was diagnosed with a serious heart problem, thanks to two physicians in the emergency department. One of her heart valves, the aortic valve was not able to open properly, severely limiting blood flow to the rest of her body. To make things more complicated, she also had severe dilation of her aorta (the blood vessel which sends blood out from the heart). The official diagnosis was bicuspid aortic valve with aortic stenosis and ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm. Tonya’s bicuspid aortic valve and thoracic aortic aneurysm were a result of abnormal development of this part of the heart even before she was born.

Given the severity of her problem, Tonya’s future was, in so many ways, unclear. What were her treatment options?  How risky was surgery? When should it be done? Would she be here for her family? Once surgery was complete, could she be a healthy person again? The idea of a marathon was a million miles away.

Tonya knew that she would require major surgery to repair her bicuspid aortic valve and thoracic aortic aneurysm, but the best treatment and timing of that treatment were not clear. Tonya approached her diagnosis determined to find the best treatment with the goal of returning to good health. She researched her condition and the treatment options with great tenacity, leaving no stone uncovered. She was fortunate enough to have access to some of the best cardiothoracic surgeons in the world. After meeting with several surgeons and researching her treatment options, it appeared that good health was possible. With the help of these surgeons and her cardiologist, she arrived at her decision and had surgery on August 24th, 2005. Unfortunately, Tonya had bleeding complications and was rushed back to the operating room the next day.  After a long recovery, she attempted her first 10 minute jog.  At that point, it appeared that she might be able to get back to running and leading an active life.  Things have just gotten better since that day.

Today, Tonya has a mechanical valve and Dacron tube graft which replaced her dilated aorta. She has to take warfarin (a blood thinner) to prevent blood clots from forming on her valve.  While she does take this daily medication, overall, her life is back to normal and she is back to running, each day growing stronger. Tonya completed her first marathon at Walt Disney World on January 7th, 2007.  She was joined by a group of friends and family who ran with her to celebrate her recovery and her strong spirit. This group is Team T. While Tonya has no immediate plans to run another full marathon, she is planning to run the Disneyland Half-Marathon on Labor Day 2007.  She seems to have a thing for these Disney events.  We are thrilled that Tonya is well and that we can be a part of this celebration of her life, spirit, and an inspiration to others.

Team T has two main objectives. The first is to support the American Heart Association by increasing awareness of heart disease and raising funds through our efforts at the Walt Disney World Marathon. The second is to provide information from Tonya’s experience that may help others facing the same problem. We hope that the information contained within this website can help others facing a similar problem.

Our website is intended to:

1. Give some background information on bicuspid aortic valves and ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm.
2. Share Tonya’s experience of how she evaluated the different treatment options.
3. Tell a little about getting back to an active lifestyle while on warfarin.
4. Give information on Team T, a group of people running with Tonya to help raise money for the American Heart Association.

It is NOT intended to give specific medical advice, but rather to relay one person’s experience of an aortic root replacement with a mechanical valve conduit and hope that it may help others in a similar situation.

We hope that you will join us in supporting Team T and the American Heart Association.

Sincerely,
Mark Meyer MD FAAEM
Director, Team T