Brenner Myers

Within 24 hours after surgery to replace a defective mitral heart valve, Brenner Myers was up and walking around with help from nurses. five days after surgery, he was discharged from the hospital and returned home, where his two stepchildren and six dogs eagerly awaited his return.

When he learned he'd need the surgery, he didn't picture a scenario quite so rosy.

"When I found out that I needed heart surgery, I thought about how much worse my life would be," says Brenner. "I assumed things that painted a pretty depressing picture. I now know how wrong I was. There really is nothing I can't do today that I couldn't do before."

Brenner's symptoms began when he was watching "Monday Night Football" with his wife, Stacey. he felt a nagging discomfort in his chest, followed by nausea. Stacey noticed that Brenner became pale and insisted he go to the emergency room. Advanced tests showed a defective mitral valve in Brenner's heart. The valve was narrowed and it leaked as a result of rheumatic heart disease.

"I think it's important to share my story. There's a giant cloud of uncertainty when you don't know if your life will change significantly because of heart surgery," says Brenner. "When I was lying in a hospital bed at Mayo Clinic, I never pictured that I would be able to do normal things like chop firewood again. Two years after my surgery, I chopped the biggest pile of firewood we've ever had.

"I hope my story reassures people who are in the same situation that if they're at Mayo Clinic for heart surgery, I think they're in the right place at the right time," he says.

Brenner has established a Web site, www.theheartroad.com, to provide support to people having heart surgery.

"The Web site isn't intended to be about me or my story alone," he says. "It's about pooling patients' experiences and offering reassurance to other patients so they know they are not alone."