Zoey's MVD Journey
Zoey’s Mighty MVD Journey
Me and my wife’s journey as pet parents began back in April of 2011. That was the day Zoey Marie came into our lives. You see, Zoey was our first adult companion animal. Boy were we in for a lesson in parenting. I realized taking care of a puppy was a lot like taking care of an infant human child. I did everything right, we immediately purchased pet insurance and took her for her wellness exams, she was always fed fresh foods. Unfortunately, Zoey had early onset patella issues and at the age of two needed corrective surgery for her grade four patella.
Zoey bravely recovered through these procedures and continued on to better days, runs in the park, beaches and many family outings. Then everything changed back in July of 2016 when at our routine vet visit Zoey was diagnosed with a grade four heart murmur. The vet did a series of X-Rays and noticed her heart was very enlarged. They recommended we see a Veterinarian Cardiologist to further investigate her issue right away. This was when our lives forever changed towards the path we now live today.
At our cardiologist appointment Zoey was given the diagnosis of Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Let’s just say we were told no surgeries worked in the USA in the past and that our best options were to medicate Zoey with the intent of delaying congestive heart failure (CHF) which would ultimately lead to her early death. Zoey was just five years. I remember that day so well. My cardiologist drawled on the whiteboard Zoey’s prognosis. By his estimate she had about three months before congestive heart failure and maybe a year total. I took a picture of that and look at it almost every day to date. We departed the clinic with new medications in hand crying as we left with no hope in our hearts.
It was then after days of crying, researching, crying some more I found the hope I was looking for. We found the one silver bullet option we needed to believe in when nobody else around would. I found an article written by a writer from Cornell University about a man named Dillon Raskin and his dog Esme. In this article I learned Dillon found a man by the name of Masami Uechi who invented and pioneered mitral valve repair surgery in dogs and was performing this surgery in Japan and France at that time. Needless to say, I found hope in my darkest moments.
After contacting this author my phone rang and to my surprise Dillon was calling me after the reporter reached out to him. Naturally I asked Dillon a million questions like we all do and eventually I was able to figure out how to contact the clinic in France where Masami Uechi and his team from Japan were performing his surgery in collaboration with a French team at their clinic called Clinique Veterinaire Bozon. Finally, I found hope and a path other than watching my daughter deteriorate in front of my eyes.
I just missed the surgery in France as they performed them every two months, typically about 5-6 dogs each time. After confronting my cardiologist about this surgery, he admitted it did exist and didn’t know much about the surgery’s success (We immediately looked into a new cardiologist). Now after being in touch with the French team we had a surgery date scheduled and starting down the road to saving my young daughters life. After many personal bank loans, personal sacrifices and reassurances through reputable veterinarian schools this was all legitimate we wired the funds and were well on our way towards Zoey’s mitral valve repair surgery in France. After a few thousand dollars of tests to see if Zoey was a candidate, we had a scheduled surgery date of October 26th, 2016, a three month wait.
The day came for us to travel after all the test, export paperwork to leave the country with a dog we were well on our way. After arriving in France and going to the clinic for our first pre-op appointment to assess Zoey before surgery the only way I can tell you how that feels is like open the gates of heaven and you’ve arrived home to the one place that never gave up on you and your dreams of saving your child. During this emotional roller coaster, we found strength in others like us that have also traveled from all over the world to save their children.
As we bonded with complete strangers over dinner with our pups we talked about our similar experiences and struggles, we found support and comfort in each other that we were not alone anymore. It was then through this experience the meaning of Mighty Hearts Project was created in my heart and soul. I found myself compelled to helping these brave people that would fly to the ends of the earth as I did for their children. As each surgery day arrived, I needed to be with them easing their minds from the pain and the worry of what’s taken place in the next room. You see as they were performing surgery, they would update you periodically as to how it was going, they would send you pictures from the operating room of your dog’s heart being sutured.
Slowly as each dog was saved and now my day was next. A part of me wanted to run away and take my daughter far away like she’s healthy and doesn’t need this surgery. I composed myself taking a deep breath, I gathered my senses and said goodbye to Zoey with the fear of never seeing her alive again. Now I became the one who was the supporter needing the support. My wife and my newly found families were there for me throughout Zoey’s surgery and made the waiting bearable. Then I started to receive picture updates on my phone of my daughters’ actual heart, I was falling apart inside thinking why does such a beautiful soul have to go through this. Finally, Dr. Sabine Bozon came out to tell us Zoey made it, her heart restarted via a pacemaker and she’s now off the bypass machine and being slowly woken up. The feeling I felt describable. My daughter is alive!!!
I was able to see Zoey soon after that from another room near the operating theater. Seeing these heroes repaired that repaired her heart when nobody else in the world could I wept. An hour later we saw Zoey in recovery and each day she slowly improved until a week later she finally came home to our temporary apartment. We finally came home back to the US after a post-op appointment to verify Zoey was fit to fly home and followed the required three months post-op of no running and jumping. We did it, we saved my daughter’s life when everyone in the US I spoke with said it wasn’t possible.
Zoey’s second repair surgery
Sadly, just after two years from having her mitral valve repair surgery in France with Dr. Masami Uechi and the Bozon’s team we noticed Zoey was again progressing from this dreadful disease at each checkup things kept looking different, her valve sizes were increasing as well as the regurgitation from moderate to severe. I was actively working with the clinics in France and Japan to understand what was going on with Zoey to cause this. After a few difficult months of piecing it all together we realized Zoey may have torn a major artificial chordae tendineae that was placed during her first surgery in France in 2016. It seemed to have torn away from her heart muscle wall.
Proactively knowing what the only thing we could do; I started the Japanese quarantine process which is a six-seven month waiting period proving rabies immunity before you are allowed to enter the country. We found ourselves yet again facing the possibility of doing another bypass repair surgery on Zoey, otherwise she probably would’ve only had a year left to live as she was already moving towards congestive heart failure (CHF), she was only seven years old at this time and very healthy otherwise.
We prepared for Japan per Sayaka Takeuchi and Masami Uechi’s request. The day came to embark on our mitral valve repair journey, this time a different continent. Much like the first surgery, we were prepared for what lies ahead. We arrived a week early to acclimate Zoey to the new environment and we had our pre-op surgical appointment with the wonderful Sayaka Takeuchi. At the appointment we were once again explained and faced with the scary truths about the risks involved in this second surgery and that we needed to make a heavy decision on whether we would again proceed. Obviously with Zoey quickly advancing and knowing the road that was ahead we placed our unwavering faith in god, Masami Uechi and his entire Jasmine team and decided to proceed ahead to save our little daughters life again.
We were told second surgeries were rarely performed and they weren’t even sure on how successful it could be. Again they were not sure why this happened to Zoey as it’s not very common unless a dog was very active early on in the recovery process causing a chordae to detach before allowing them the required three months’ time to scar and bond over the repair of the heart further reinforcing the repair. Most likely as this is a progressive disease and surgery can’t cure the disease maybe it was a weak heart muscle as she did develop this disease at the early age of five or maybe it was stress induced because Zoey is very high strung, we will never know. All I know is here we are again faced with the same fears we experienced a little over two years ago.
Surgery day came and I won't lie to you that I was a complete wreck internally. I cried when I was alone and never outwardly showed it as I needed to be the rock for my family that needed me more than ever now. We departed for the Jasmine clinic and dreadfully arrived. After checking into the clinic, the doctors came out to get Zoey. As they took Zoey away from me yet again a wave of calmness went through my body because I knew I gave Zoey the best chances possible at fighting this again and I knew the team cared very deeply about us and would save my daughter’s life again at all cost, I had no doubts in my soul in their abilities whatsoever.
We were told not long after surgery started. Sitting again in that lobby, knowing my daughter was clinically dead for the second time because they would induce her heart to stop under bypass was the most difficult thing I had to experience again in my life. As you sit in the lobby you find yourself reading each doctor’s facial expressions as they come in and out of the area trying to gauge how it’s going inside the surgical room. It’s such a gut-wrenching feeling to be sitting in the lobby waiting, feeling helpless and seeing how many more dogs are coming into the clinic to be examined as future surgery patients. It is devastating and it makes you realize how much of a problem this disease is worldwide.
Finally, surgery results
Zoey made it through her second mitral valve repair surgery. Dr. Masami Uechi comes out to bring you back to the surgical theater to explain to you how it all went “heart sinking” he tells us that everything went as planned and Zoey is off of the bypass machine and being closed up by the team. As Dr. Uechi shows us the repair results on the monitor in the little waiting room we start crying in relief and amazement of what this beautiful man and his team just accomplished. Again, they saved our daughter.
We were brought to the back of the surgery area to see Zoey being stitched up in the next room over and Dr. Uechi is explaining what the vital signs on the monitors means overhead, blood pressure, heart rate, etc. We are thrilled yet worried as we know the road to recovery is just as crucial as the surgery. They did their job and now Zoey’s little body and the recovery team start theirs. What a roller coaster ride and a true miracle to witness.
As Zoey was moved to recovery, we were able to see her again. As the days went on, we visited Zoey every day and we watched her getting stronger and stronger. Me knowing she wouldn’t eat for days I was prepared and feed Zoey with good proper liquid nutrition to get her numbers up to improve from the natural body’s response to inflammation after this intervention. Zoey did remarkably well and eventually was able to check out of the clinic and come back to our Airbnb. She did have to go back to the clinic a few times as her left lung collapsed and she also had a re injure of her left leg patella. The amazing team at the Jasmine clinic were able to get Zoey stabilized yet again.
Headed home
Zoey persevered through all the obstacles she faced against her for the second time and after a final check up we received the all clear to go home back to the USA. After much needed rest at our home in the US, we went for our checkup with Dr. Emily Chapel at Access Specialty Animal Hospital and she was so impressed with how well Zoey was doing since the last time she saw Zoey before going to Japan for surgery. You always find yourself at each cardiologist appointment holding your breath because we’ve been here before and you never know what they are going to say in the future towards this ever-progressive disease.
It’s been quite a life-changing journey for us to undergo. The immense support from the Mighty Hearts MVD Community was just amazing and a remainder to me of why I helped to create and continue to maintain this important cause and resource for others to utilize. This experience has only further strengthened my determination and resolve at dedicating my life to seeing more of our babies’ lives saved. I will continue helping families get through this as gently as possible. Mighty Hearts Project to me is always and will forever be the embodiment of a group of brave loving beautiful people that come together for the common cause of helping others through this difficult disease. We hope to help advance this procedure by making it more widely available all over the world.
One thing I’ve learned is just how important it is for us to support these doctors learning this surgery. As the doctors work hard to make it more readily available throughout the world, we must also support them and advocate for them in this procedure so others can learn this in the proper manner increasing the lives saved as they all advance in these emerging programs. I truly hate this disease and my resolve is strong to continue to grow our organization towards helping all of those we support. It won’t be perfect and I’m sure many bumps will happen along the way. To learn and grow sometimes we must let the path lovingly guide us to where it needs us to be at that moment is what I’ve learned through all of this.
My little daughter is alive today because of this surgery and inspiring myself and so many others to never quit in life until your soul is needed elsewhere. I promise to always be that beacon of hope and I will never quit in my resolve to seeing you all through your difficult journey’s to hopefully come home with your babies on the other side of this terrible disease.
