Beacon cardiac team gives patient a new valve and a new perspective

Like many of us, when Kim Johnson experienced troubling health symptoms, she tried to explain them away. She felt sluggish, was having difficulty sleeping, snored and struggled to breathe when she was lying in bed.

“I was afraid of the inevitable,” she said. “I thought I just had a bad night.”

But her symptoms didn’t go away, and they started to affect her at work, where she was a busy waitress. Walking from one end of the restaurant to the other felt like too much. She was petrified that someone would ask her to get supplies from the basement, because she had to stop, stand at the top of the stairs and catch her breath before she could return to serving her customers.

The final straw came in April 2025. Her roommate, who was aware of how she had been feeling, forgot his key. When she let him in, he noticed she was having trouble breathing. She said maybe she was congested and would feel better after a hot shower.

“No,” he said. “We’re going to the hospital right now.”

Getting answers

Kim barely recalls entering the Memorial Hospital emergency room. Her first memory there is of the physician coming in and telling her she had to be admitted.

“They weren’t sure what was going on, but it was something with my heart,” she said. “The ER physician was so attentive. The fact that he didn’t just send me home … He saved my life.”

Dr. Daniel Weber

Once she was admitted to the Memorial Leighton Heart and Vascular Center, Kim underwent a transesophageal echocardiogram. This is a special type of imaging in which the patient swallows a probe that sends sound waves into the body. It then picks up the echoes, which a computer uses to create images of the heart.

The test revealed that Kim’s heart’s mitral valve, a critical structure that controls blood flow through the heart, needed to be replaced. She also had a faulty tricuspid valve that needed to be repaired.

Dr. Daniel Weber, Beacon Medical Group Cardiothoracic Surgery South Bend, said Kim’s mitral valve was very calcified and fibrotic — it had become stiff and thickened — and it was leaking severely.

“It had probably been going on for some time, as both sides of her heart were functioning quite poorly,” he said. “Our multidisciplinary structural heart team discussed her condition, and we proceeded with surgery in a more urgent fashion due to the severity of her valvular disease and heart failure.”

The damage to her heart’s valves, particularly the mitral valve, meant that her body wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

Dr. Brendan Durr

“Her symptoms were very consistent with a longstanding problem with her mitral and subsequently her tricuspid valves. The mitral valve certainly caused weakening of her overall cardiac function, as well as her right ventricular function and her tricuspid valves,” said Dr. Brendan Durr, Medical Director Beacon Medical Group Advanced Cardiology Specialists South Bend.

“I literally looked like I was going to die. I was gray, almost green,” she said. “That’s why my breathing was so labored.”

A new mitral valve

Within days, Dr. Weber performed open heart surgery to replace Kim’s faulty mitral valve with a prosthetic one, which should last for the rest of her life. At the same time, he repaired her tricuspid valve.

“She was very motivated after surgery and did everything we asked of her,” Dr. Weber said.

Her recovery from a higher-risk surgery was smooth and uneventful.

“I have two kids, one in college and one in high school. They keep me grounded and really motivate me to do what’s best,” she said.

Still, doing what was best was frightening. “It was really, really, difficult,” she said. Fearing she might not survive the procedures, she wrote letters to her parents and children as she waited in the hospital the night before surgery.

The next morning, she was wheeled to the operating room. The next thing she remembers is waking up in the intensive care unit.

“The care that I received in the ICU was absolutely unreal. [My nurse] Stephanie made me feel calm. She made me laugh,” Kim said.

She remained in the hospital for more than three weeks, moving to less intensive care as soon as she was ready. “They were just so good to me,” she added. “I’m one of those people who asks a lot of questions, and they were compassionate and attentive. I was petrified and they really eased my nerves.”

Recovering with rehab

Kim had a new mitral valve and a repaired tricuspid valve. But her body was left with damage, and she now lives with heart failure, a condition she’ll need to manage for the rest of her life. Beacon’s cardiac rehabilitation program has taught her how to care for her repaired heart.

“Cardiac rehab is important for Kim and all patients recovering from cardiac surgery and other cardiac procedures and conditions,” Dr. Durr said. “It allows for a supervised, graded exercise program that also contains educational materials on diet and other lifestyle changes. Importantly, it occurs in a group setting, so patients can see that they are not alone in their condition or in their recovery.”

The staff helped her feel at home and confident she could continue when she wasn’t sure she could.

“They taught me how to exercise effectively for my body and the strength in my heart. To identify a certain feeling in my chest, and what to do,” she said. “Graduation was super sad, because I wanted to keep going.”

Today, Kim is prioritizing her health, getting weekly blood tests, spending hours at the grocery store to buy heart-healthy foods, working out three to five times a week and staying on top of her medication regimen.

“Cases such as these, where a patient comes in very sick and we are able to make a tangible and meaningful difference are the most rewarding for us as providers,” Dr. Weber said.

Her children and parents have been the biggest contributors to her strength.

But Kim is also filled with gratitude and eager to thank her entire care team, including these special people: Dr. Weber, Dr. Kobayashi and Dr. Durr; her primary care provider, Kristyn Beaver, Nurse Practitioner, at Beacon Medical Group E. Blair Warner; Anna in cardiac rehab; and ICU nurse Stephanie Stewart.

“I could be in another realm, but thankfully I’m still here to experience life. Now I can listen to my body and do what’s best for me. I’m working really hard,” Kim said with pride. “I changed my perspective, and I’m going to live it up as much as I can.”