Jill's Cardiology Story
TAVR Technology Gives Horse Lover New Life
Jill McCully's life took a challenging turn when a horseback riding accident led to multiple heart surgeries and ongoing cardiac care. However, a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure has allowed her to regain her freedom from heart-related worries and return to an active life.
As a horse enthusiast who now works at a thoroughbred farm, Jill spent years competing in hunter-jumper events. In 2004, a year after she experienced a fall from a horse, her doctor diagnosed her with a heart murmur during a routine check-up.
At first, physicians suspected she had a congenital valve issue, and Jill continued her active lifestyle, training for and completing the Chicago Marathon. But after a slow recovery and a feeling that something wasn’t right, she went in to see her doctor.
Testing revealed a life-threatening 6.3-centimeter aortic aneurysm, and during surgery, doctors made a second startling discovery. Her valve wasn’t defective from birth; it was torn, likely from the fall.
After her first open-heart surgery failed to provide relief, Jill’s primary care physician recommended she see Paula Hollingsworth, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Baptist Health Lexington. In 2006, she had a second open-heart surgery to replace the damaged valve with a tissue valve.
However, over time, Jill began to experience troubling symptoms again — low energy, irregular heartbeat, dizzy spells, and shortness of breath.
“I was riding, you know, continuously, and I was feeling really bad,” she said. “I couldn’t stay in a canter without my heart just feeling like it was beating out of my chest.”
Since Jill’s first two surgeries, new technology has been developed for heart treatment, and in 2022, electrophysiologist Johann David Aasbo, DO, performed a cardiac ablation to remove scar tissue and address rapid heartbeats. In 2023, John Chaney, MD, a vascular and cardiothoracic surgeon, performed the TAVR procedure, a minimally invasive method for replacing the heart valve.
“I had a whole year of not feeling or thinking about my heart,” Jill said. “No flutters, no fainting, no ups and downs. I didn’t realize how much of me was wrapped up in that worry.”
In August 2024, Jill had her one-year follow-up, and testing showed a clear echocardiogram. She’s off all medications, and doctors expect her new valve to last a decade or more.
“I was always a little hesitant ... because I was afraid that I would be doing too much to the heart muscle,” Jill said.
Now, she’s living fully again — exercising regularly, staying active, and even getting back on a horse when the opportunity arises.
“Dr. Hollingsworth said, ‘Live your life the way you want to live it. Do whatever you want to do,’” Jill said. “That’s how everyone should live.”