MACON, Ga. — Nancy Smith works in her yard quite a bit.
At one point in her life, her daily tasks became more difficult.
In fact, at one point, she was afraid to sleep at night out of fear of not waking up the following day.
"I feel so much better and younger now," Smith explained.
Her renewed sense of gratitude stems from those scary moments in her life.
"I really did think I was going to die several times," Smith recalled.
About 30 years ago, she began experiencing heart problems.
"I could feel my heart actually stop. I could feel it, you know, jump around, and I went and had a cardiac ablation," Smith said.
That procedure happened nearly a decade ago, and added it did help.
However, irregular heartbeats and chest pain worsened in the summer and fall of 2023.
"I couldn't even take the dishes out of the dishwasher," Smith said.
Doctors told her she had a mitral valve leak.
This surfaced about a decade ago.
Dr. Richard Harvey at Piedmont Macon told her this particular heart valve keeps blood flowing the way it should.
However, Smith's was defective.
"If it's leaking when your heart squeezes, the blood is pushed back to your lungs instead of going out to your body like it should," Dr. Harvey explained.
This causes shortness of breath, fatigue and lack of endurance.
He said it is important that people who experience this talk with their doctors immediately.
"You can develop intractable heart failure long-term if it's left alone," Dr. Harvey explained.
This could include a heart attack or even a stroke.
According to www.valvediseaseday.org, about 11.6 million Americans have a heart valve disease.
At least 25,000 people a year in the United States die from this.
In Smith's case, all she needed was a repair.
"You assess the valve and see if you think it's repairable," said Dr. Harvey. "If it is, then you proceed with a repair."
Dr. Harvey added this procedure is Piedmont Macon's third most common heart operation.
Smith is thankful Dr. Harvey, in her words, saved her life.
Today, she's sharing a rather stern but life-saving message.
"Get your butt to the doctor and have it checked. Don't take your life for granted," Smith said.
Mitral valve deaths are higher among women, senior citizens and minorities, according to Piedmont Macon.
Although this isn't preventable, doctors recommend eating a heart-healthy diet and being physically active.