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Feel so Fortunate to be Alive

Dawn has refused to let heart problems slow down her active lifestyle! In 1999, the Colorado woman received a St. Jude Medical® mechanical heart valve, replacing a tissue valve implanted a decade earlier when doctors discovered her mitral valve was severely damaged.
Photo: Dawn

Today, Dawn's passions include marathons, hiking, cross-country skiing, fly fishing, and biking. She is also actively involved in women's heart-related issues and serves as a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.

Above all, Dawn appreciates the life-saving technology that will allow her "to see my 14-year-old son graduate from college and grow old with my husband."

Photo: Dawn riding her bike

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