LIVED EXPERIENCE with SEVERE AORTIC VALVE STENOSIS (AORTIC STENOSIS) From collapsing in Thailand to meeting technicians who hand-stitched heart valve in Singapore
With
Geoffrey Lewis, Age 75
Diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, following collapse
Rebecca Pickles,
daughter of Geoffrey Lewis
LIVED EXPERIENCE SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | September 2026
A Batemans Bay grandfather who dismissed months of breathlessness and fatigue as “just getting older” is now preparing to travel to Singapore to meet the technicians who hand-stitched the heart valve that helped save his life.
In April 2026, retired logistics courier, Geoff Lewis, 75, collapsed in front of his daughter and grandchildren while on holiday in Thailand, after months of symptoms he had ignored. The collapse would lead to a diagnosis of severe aortic stenosis and urgent treatment back home.
Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the heart valve which makes the heart work harder to pump blood around the body.(1)
When left untreated, severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is associated with poor outcomes, with more than half of those affected potentially dying within two years. (2)
The disease most commonly affects those aged 65 years and over, and its symptoms are often mistaken for the normal signs of ageing, (3) such as gradual reduction in exercise capacity, shortness of breath, fatigue (tiredness) and tightness, or pain in the chest. (4)
An estimated 100,000 Australians are living with severe aortic stenosis, with a further 10,000 new cases developing each year.2 The disease is increasingly treatable,6 and can often be identified through a routine heart examination, including listening for a heart murmur with a stethoscope.(5)
Treatment depends on the severity of the condition and an individual’s circumstances. Options may include monitoring or valve replacement, including surgical approaches or minimally invasive procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
Citations:
- Strange, G., et al., Uncovering the treatable burden of severe aortic stenosis in Australia: current and future projections within an ageing population. BMC Health Services Research, 2021. 21(1): p. 790.
- Otto, C.M., Timing of aortic valve surgery. Heart (British Cardiac Society), 2000. 84(2): p. 211-218.
- Hope For Hearts. Symptoms of Aortic Stenosis. [July 2026]; Available from: https://hopeforhearts.com.au/aortic-stenosis/symptoms/.
- Victor Chang Cardio Research Institute. Aortic Stenosis. [July 2026]; Available from: https://www.victorchang.edu.au/aortic-stenosis.
- The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. Our hidden ageing: Time to listen to the heart. 2021; Available from: https://www.baker.edu.au/impact/advocacy/valve-disease.
Source: Adapted from media release, VIVA! Communications Pty Ltd – a GHMC Company August 2026. Supplied footage: Edwards Lifesciences (Singapore)
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