Navigating the Fire Swamp

I'm Jami and my best friend, husband of 30+ years, Steven got diagnosed with 3 aortic aneurysms in early 2025. We'd never even heard of the figurative time bomb/chest grenade called aortic aneurysm.  We didn't even know that A.O.U.S.s were a thing 6 months ago! Welcome to Aortas of Unusual Size where I share our journey through the fire swamp of aortic aneurysm discovery: "watchfully waiting", open surgery repair, and then recovery. This is where I'm sharing our experiences, insights, and humor.  We are not doctors, we don't have medical degrees, but I did play a  nurse once in an industrial safety film, Steven would prefer to rub dirt on it and forget it (he's actually quite successful in his plan currently). I have become a reluctant student and watched 100+ hours of YouTube medical videos, to include some open-heart surgical repairs. It took me about 80 hours of study to handle any repair videos. Have I mentioned that cardiothoracic surgeons are total rockstars? Needless to say, we are night and day different and handle all of this very differently. Our lives will never be the same as they were before the diagnosis and I've had to work past the daily rollercoaster of fears of his aorta dissecting, leaking, or going boom.  Join us as we walk this road together. 

We're glad you're here to be a part of our story. As individuals and as a couple (parents of 20 something quadruplets), we have been through many adventures, some fiery and treacherous, some soul crushing and heartbreaking, with splashes of laughter and joy along the way. I'll share a lot of stories, and you'll know pretty quickly whether this blog is for you or not. Steven will write when he feels inspired to acknowledge the aortic dragon he intends to slay. Whatever the case, whatever you may be facing, we wish you health and peace in the areas you are doing some watchful waiting. It's such a simple term used frequently when discussing aneurysms of any type. Right now, there are countless patients around the world and all the people who love them, waiting, watching. You're not alone and we wish you godspeed.

About us

 As Aortas of Unusual Size, we hope to increase awareness and maybe fill some gaps for others, like us, who are having difficulty finding stories of couples walking the path on which we now find ourselves. No one wants to be in a medical swamp, with its variety of dangers, but we're not alone.