Meet Karin Bertozzi's Grandpa Don. He died in 1965 at age 53. He went to bed tired and achy. He never woke up.
An autopsy was done and it reads "...there is evidence of a dissecting aortic aneurysm (arteriosclerotic) which dissects back into the pericardial sac and forward to include the vessels of the aortic arch. A false channel is made down to the level of the renal arteries...the exact location of the initial perforation appears to be in the distal portion of the aorta near the arch."
At age 46, Karin suffered an emergent dissecting aortic aneurysm. Her surgeon felt strongly there had to be a family history.
All she knew was that her paternal grandfather died at an early age of a cardiac event.
When she found the autopsy, Pandora's box was opened or had she discovered a pot of gold?
Karin never met her Grandpa Don.
Know your family history. Did someone in your family experience an early death due to a "cardiac event"? Share this information with your physicians.
Karin's story doesn't end here - part two coming soon.
~Karin Bertozzi - survivor