At 35 , An Dao is decades younger than most heart valve recipients. Yet, before her valve replacement surgery, the New York makeup artist who enjoys tennis and dancing says: “I’d reached a point where I felt old.” One day, while crossing the street, Dao doubled over, gasping for breath. She knew then she could no longer ignore the valve problem that, years earlier, doctors had warned her about. Her timing was fortunate. In September 2000 , Dao became one of the first U.S. patients to receive the newly approved Carpentier-Edwards mitral PERIMOUNT pericardial tissue heart valve in a surgery performed by Dr. Delos M. Cosgrove at the renowned Cleveland Clinic. Today, Dao enjoys all kinds of activities, including her favorite, ballroom dancing. “I appreciate life so much more now,” she says. 

## An Dao Makeup Artist, Ballroom Dancer, New Yorker 

Choosing the right replacement heart valve is an important decision, and clinicians and patients faced with this choice are increasingly selecting tissue valves because of the quality-of-life advantages they offer over mechanical valves. 

