Hoag Gave Jenny Murphy What Her Heart Desired
“We assumed we couldn’t have children. I look at my three kids,
and I think, ‘Dr. Raney gave me this.’ He worked so hard and
sacrificed time with his family to give me mine.”
Jenny Murphy has three children.
This is significant not only because her children are young and rambunctious
and adorable (which they are). It is significant because they might never
have been born.
Diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse at the age of 14, Jenny’s heart
condition was monitored for more a decade before it became obvious that
she could no longer put off surgery. With a condition as bad as Jenny’s,
most hospitals would have her undergo a mitral valve replacement.
Women with prosthetic valves are at a higher risk for complications during
pregnancy. A practical, scientifically minded pharmacist, Jenny resigned
herself to the idea that she and her husband, Brian – her college
sweetheart, would not have children.
But she didn’t give up hope entirely. Jenny, who was living in the
Bay Area at the time, decided to seek care at Hoag’s Jeffrey M.
Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute with one of the world’s most
experienced mitral valve repair surgeons, Aidan Raney, M.D., James &
Pamela Muzzy Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Surgery.
“You want to go to someone who has done this for breakfast, lunch
and dinner for 20 years,” said Jenny, who is now 35 and recently
hit the 10-year anniversary of her surgery. “I asked him, ‘What
would you do if I were your daughter?’ And Dr. Raney said, ‘I
treat all of my patients as if they were my children.’”
Dr. Raney recommended a mitral valve repair, a very difficult and precise
surgery that would spare Jenny from having to undergo a replacement surgery
and allow her to pursue her dream of becoming a mother.
Jenny’s condition was particularly rare and treacherous, and the
six-hour surgery was not easy.
“It was worse than anticipated. After the surgery, Dr. Raney came
out to talk to my family in the waiting room, and he was pouring with
sweat,” Jenny said. “He said that was one of the top five
most difficult repairs he’d ever done.”
Jenny praises the work of Dr. Raney and of internationally renowned echocardiography
pioneer Pravin Shah, M.D. During surgery, Dr. Shah performs a highly advanced
ultrasound of the heart to give the surgeon the information needed to
ensure the best possible outcomes.
“He makes sure that everything is good before they sew you up,”
Jenny said. “Dr. Raney and Dr. Shah are just incredible.”
Jenny said the rest of Hoag’s medical team and staff also made her
feel confident in her care.
“I work in the medical field, so when I’m in a medical situation
I tend to manage things and make sure they go OK,” said Jenny, who
now lives in Bend, Oregon. “At Hoag, the care is so comprehensive
and the medical team is so attentive that I could just lie back and heal.
I didn’t have to manage anything because they know what they’re
doing. As a patient, you feel safe.”
Every year, Jenny and Brian send Hoag’s team Christmas cards featuring
smiling pictures of their family. Their oldest son is now 4, and the twins are 2.
“We assumed we couldn’t have children,” Jenny said. “I
look at my three kids, and I think, ‘Dr. Raney gave me this.’
He worked so hard and sacrificed time with his family to give me mine.”