Jeff's Story- Aortic Valve Disease

As a retired Coast Guard captain with 28 years of service, Jeff Karonis has faced plenty of scary scenarios, from navigating 30-foot seas to intercepting drug smugglers. But being told within the span of 30 minutes that he had a life-threatening aortic aneurism and stage 3 blood cancer was one of the most terrifying experiences he’s ever had.“When I was a captain, I was prepared for just about anything that could have been thrown at me,” he recalled. “This was different.”

But with the same dogged determination that saw him return safely to land after each sailing, Jeff has overcome both of those diagnoses in less than two years and is living life fully again.

It all began on a Sunday morning in July of 2023 when his daily walk with his dog, Mindy, left Jeff so winded that he ended up in the Inova Loudoun Hospital emergency room. Virginia Heart’s Ibrahim M. Saeed, M.D., Asad E. Chaudhry, M.D., and Hampton A. Crimm, M.D., conferred to evaluate his condition. The team ordered CT and echo imaging of Jeff’s heart that revealed three simultaneous cardiac issues: coronary artery disease, severe aortic valve disease and dilation of the aorta. The situation required urgent intervention.

But on top of that news, oncologist Pranitha Naini, M.D., had to tell Jeff that his diagnostic bloodwork revealed something equally as dangerous: he had multiple myeloma, a form of cancer that attacks the body’s white blood cells.

Within hours of getting these diagnoses, Virginia Heart’s Edward W. Howard, M.D., expedited Jeff’s initial heart catheterization. This “inside look” at Jeff’s heart provided a clear assessment of Jeff’s need for a valve replacement without delay.

A week after his procedures, the Virginia Heart team was confident that Jeff’s heart had been successfully repaired and was strong enough for him to begin chemotherapy immediately.

Less than two years since he was nearly swamped by his double diagnosis of life-threatening heart and blood conditions, Jeff will take to the water again with the full blessing of Dr. Crimm, his primary cardiologist at Virginia Heart. On this sailing, however, he won’t be the ship’s captain, but a passenger on a Rhine River cruise. He will be accompanied by his new friend, Helen, who he met in cardiac rehab.

“I’m so grateful to the entire Virginia Heart team. They were crystal clear about what needed to be done and what life would be like afterward. They said I’d be able to climb mountains, and I feel like I can. And my cancer is in remission. I feel great,” Jeff said.

“I knew that Capt. Karonis had maintained himself in excellent physical shape throughout his career in the Coast Guard, which certainly aided in his full recovery,” Dr. Crimm said. “I am glad to see him resuming his adventures”