Patrick Kirby’s Journey From Heart Defect to Recovery
Judy and Patrick Kirby. (Photo by Patrick Kirby)
Patrick Kirby learned he was born with a bicuspid aortic valve—two aortic leaflets instead of the heart’s usual three—when he was about 10. “It was summer and I was playing sports. Suddenly, my chest started hurting,” he recalled. “My father was active Air Force, so we went to Sheppard Air Force Base there in Wichita Falls. I did a stress test and when they saw the results, they put us in a C-130 military transport plane and flew us to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio—a very cool trip! We were there a couple of days for tests and then they flew us out. I had no other heart problems until about 45 years later.”
On June 20, 2011, five days before his wedding, Kirby suffered chest pain as he arrived at work. “I knew it wasn’t right. Judy and I had been walking every morning to get in shape for our wedding on the 25th,” he said. “My primary care provider did an EKG and referred me to a cardiac cath lab near my home in Waco. Late the next day, I got the news that I had aortic valve stenosis and an ascending aortic aneurysm. I told Judy the next day, which happened to be her birthday, and we told our families at our wedding rehearsal.”
About 1 in 3 people born with a bicuspid valve develop aortic stenosis as they age, causing reduction or blockage of blood flow from the heart to the body. The congenital defect may also lead to aortopathy, an enlarged aorta that increases the risk of aortic dissection, a life-threatening condition requiring immediate medical attention. In addition, people born with bicuspid valves may also have an abnormal aortic wall, which can result in aneurysm.
Kirby’s aneurysm was relatively small—less than 5 millimeters in diameter. His cardiologist in Waco recommended close monitoring for any increase in size and referred him to a local cardiothoracic surgeon to establish a relationship. The two physicians monitored his condition over the next decade, initially with biannual MRI imaging.
“Eventually, we started pushing out the MRIs to 18 months and then every two years or so,” Kirby said. “The aneurysm remained at around 4.8 millimeters.”
When an MRI in December 2024 revealed severe stenosis, his Waco heart team referred him to Houston cardiothoracic surgeon Anthony Estrera, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at UTHealth Houston and chief of cardiac surgery and director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
“That’s how all the magic happened,” Kirby said. “We set up a conference call with Dr. Estrera, his aortic program nurse manager, and my wife, Judy. He had reviewed all my records, just over a decade of medical history of my heart. I’d done my research on his experience and education and was impressed. When we talked, we felt he really listened to us. During that call, Judy and I fell in love with them. We told Dr. Estrera about my middle daughter’s wedding coming up in September, and he said if we moved forward now, I would be able to attend the wedding. Judy and I talked that night, and we both agreed to schedule the operation as soon as possible.”
Judy and Patrick Kirby. (Photo by Patrick Kirby)
Surgery was scheduled for May 2025. “Although major heart surgery always makes patients anxious, Patrick’s case was very straightforward,” said Estrera, who holds the Hazim J. Safi, MD, Distinguished Chair at UTHealth Houston. “Because he was only 61 at the time and wanted to avoid the lifelong anticoagulant medication that mechanical valves require, we replaced his diseased heart valve and the ascending part of his proximal transverse arch with a very large bioprosthetic valve. He was in surgery for four hours.”
Kirby remembers a rough postoperative 40 hours, with two bouts of atrial fibrillation that were controlled with medication. “The inflammatory state that occurs immediately after surgery can lead to A-fib but fortunately, the condition usually is self-limited, as was the case with Patrick,” Estrera said. “He was discharged after a six-day hospitalization, with excellent echocardiogram results after surgery and again in follow-up with his physicians in Waco.”
On the one-year anniversary of his surgery, Kirby sent Estrera a note. “I want to tell you how appreciative I am and so thankful that we met. I have a deep love for everyone who interacted with me from intake, the medical staff in the OR, both ICU departments, to the individuals who delivered my food selection and picked up my tray, from housekeeping to discharge. What you did for me and my family requires more than gratitude. You prolonged my life and I still take a moment each day to think about how fortunate I am. Not a month goes by that I don’t pray to God in thanks that we met. What you did for me and have done for thousands of others is amazing. With humble gratitude, love, and forever thankful. Patrick and Judy Kirby.”
In August 2026, the Kirby’s took a 4,437-mile road trip to California to visit their middle daughter and her husband, passing through Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, and back to Waco with sightseeing stops along the way. “While we were on the road, we talked about how Dr. Estrera and his team helped us make this trip,” he said. “I’m just joking when I say that I wish there was a reason to return just to see and talk with the people I now consider part of my family.”
