Surgery helped
David ‘Duke’ Spath return
to his active lifestyle
David
“Duke” Spath was born
with a bad heart valve. But it didn’t
stop him from climbing Mt. Shasta,
taking 20-mile bike rides and
swimming Whiskeytown Lake for
hours on end.
Despite his heart condition, he was
healthy enough to enjoy an active
lifestyle. He took care of his body,
mind, and spirit—and lived with a
fearless heart.
And then about ve years ago,
Duke started feeling short of
breath and weak.
“It just kept getting worse
and worse—until eventually I
couldn’t carry my lunch pail from
the parking lot tomy o ce,” he says.
WithDuke’s condition, the aortic
valve in his heart had calci ed and
sti ened, reducing the ow of
oxygen-rich blood through the
heart. “You feel like you’re short of
breath,” he says. “Andwithout air,
you get fatigued.”
MERCY HEART CENTER
Aheart
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