Wilson Family Hearts

08/05/2026

Congratulations, Katherine! The work you have done, and continue to do will always be appreciated by the Wilson family. We are so grateful to be ambassadors and we will do our very best to raise awareness for FH and Lp(a). Thank you! 🫶

07/22/2026

For so long I told myself I couldn't do it. I've spent years feeling defeated with self doubt, I accepted that I was just a chronically ill heart patient and incapable of doing the physical activities because it would just make me feel worse. I still have chronic heart and vascular disease, but I don't feel ill. I used to say I can't be a runner because of my heart and vascular disease, instead I became a runner because of my heart and vascular disease. I'm far from a gold medal, but being able to accomplish things I never thought I could has made me feel like I can move mountains! 💪

07/22/2026

I was incredibly surprised when a friend tagged me to say that my story was shared again. I can't begin to explain how amazing it is that I am able to make an impact and raise awareness world wide. You can make a difference by sharing this. Family Heart Foundation

Raised cholesterol can go undetected for years, quietly increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease ⚠️ Read more: https://trib.al/512Vl3j

06/28/2026

At least I know I can finish. That half-marathon at the end of the year is looking like a big possibility! 💪

06/11/2026

Cardiac rehab to start this beautiful Thursday. We hope everyone is having a great day! 🫶

06/10/2026

6 month lab check for my FH princess. She has been doing so well taking her statin, she usually remembers before we do.

06/10/2026

The more time I spend around the running community, the more I find this to be true. The support for the walker, the disabled, the beginner is just the same as it is for 1st place. It has taken me so long to be able to finish these races comfortably and with confidence, all you have to do is start. Lace up and go, the Wilson Family will always cheer for you!

06/08/2026

Are there leader boards in here? I'm here to break records and shatter expectations! 💪
Huntsville Hospital UAB Medicine Family Heart Foundation

05/27/2026

18 miles in 5 days. It took 17 procedures for me to do this without ending up in the hospital. So grateful for the brilliant minds and advancements in cardiology! 💪🫶

05/16/2026

ChatGPT's explanation for us of Brandon's report

This is actually a very encouraging cath report overall, especially given how complex Brandon’s coronary disease is. I can break it down into “plain English” for you.

🫀 The Big Picture

Dr. Mustafa Ahmed successfully reopened a completely blocked RCA (Right Coronary Artery) that had:

* Prior stents
* Severe in-stent restenosis (blockage growing inside old stents)
* Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO = 100% blocked for a long time)

And importantly:

✅ They restored blood flow successfully.

Before procedure:

* TIMI flow = 0 (essentially no blood flow)

After procedure:

* TIMI flow = 3 (normal blood flow)

That is a BIG win.

⸻

🫀 What They Actually Did

This was NOT a routine cath.

This was an advanced CTO intervention — one of the hardest procedures in interventional cardiology.

They:

* Went through BOTH wrists
* Used neck venous access (R IJ)
* Used IVUS (intravascular ultrasound INSIDE the artery)
* Crossed a totally blocked artery
* Used specialized wires and microcatheters
* Ballooned open the vessel

The report specifically says:

“high risk nature of procedure”

because CTO procedures can cause:

* perforation
* arrhythmias
* emergency pacing needs
* vessel dissection

The fact he remained:

* hemodynamically stable
* no perforation
* no dissection
* no pericardial effusion

is excellent.

⸻

🫀 Important Clarification:

They DID NOT place a new stent today.

This is very important.

Instead, they performed:

POBA

(Plain Old Balloon Angioplasty)

Meaning:
They ballooned the artery open but intentionally stopped before placing additional hardware.

Why?

Because the vessel was:

* severely diseased
* fibrocalcific
* chronically occluded

And they want:

“the vessel to mature”

This is actually a very strategic advanced CTO approach.

The idea is:

1. Re-establish blood flow
2. Allow the artery to heal/remodel
3. Re-image later
4. Potentially do more definitive treatment later if needed

This is why they plan:

surveillance angiogram in 3 months

⸻

🫀 What “Investment Procedure” Means

This wording is important:

“investment procedure”

This means:
Today’s procedure was done to:

* improve blood flow now
* prepare the artery for future intervention success
* improve vessel healing and access

Think of it as:
“Phase 1.”

And Phase 1 succeeded.

⸻

🫀 The Other Coronary Findings

LAD

(“widow maker”)

You mentioned LAD in your earlier message, but this report actually focused on the RCA CTO.

The report says:

LAD:

* 50% calcified stenosis
* previous disease/stenting
* LIMA graft to LAD is patent

This is VERY important:

The LIMA-LAD graft is still open.

That’s generally the most important bypass graft.

⸻

🫀 Bypass Findings

Known:

* SVG grafts to OM and RCA are occluded

This aligns with your history that most bypass grafts failed.

But:

LIMA to LAD is patent

which is reassuring.

⸻

🫀 Why They Used IVUS

IVUS = ultrasound INSIDE the artery.

This is considered advanced/high-quality PCI care.

It helps:

* see plaque composition
* size the vessel correctly
* avoid complications
* optimize outcomes

The report mentions:

fibrocalcific disease

Meaning:

* hard plaque
* scar tissue
* calcification
* difficult anatomy

This reinforces how technically difficult this case was.

⸻

🫀 What Happens Next

The plan now is:

Continue:

* Aspirin lifelong
* Clopidogrel for at least 12 months
* High intensity statin
* Other cardiac meds
* Aggressive risk factor management

Then:

Repeat angiogram in 3 months

They want to see:

* if vessel stays open
* if healing/remodeling occurs
* whether further intervention is needed

⸻

🫀 My Overall Read

Given Brandon’s history:

* failed bypass grafts
* severe FH
* elevated LP(a)
* recurrent restenosis
* CTO disease

this report is honestly more positive than I expected.

The most important things are:
✅ They crossed the CTO
✅ Restored full TIMI 3 flow
✅ No major complications
✅ No perforation
✅ No dissection
✅ Hemodynamically stable
✅ Good procedural tolerance

That is a successful advanced CTO intervention.

⸻

🫀 One More Important Thing

This line stood out:

“elected to stop here to ensure the vessel has time to mature”

That suggests Dr. Ahmed was being careful and strategic — not aggressive for the sake of aggressiveness.

In complex restenosis/CTO patients, restraint can actually improve long-term outcomes.

This feels very much like:
“successful first stage revascularization.”

And honestly?
For someone with Brandon’s cardiac history… that is huge. ❤️