I just spent a month (31 days) on vacation on the Central Coast of California. I rented a condo near family and walked along the beach every day. My family was able to enjoy these fun activities with me because I was celebrating the recent implant of an aortic valve using the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure. My heart valve journey had spread across 80 years, but over these years, my chances for a successful heart valve implant improved as advances were made in the art and science of medicine.