Listen to your symptoms and act fast.

Brad Lawing could have written off his symptoms as things that were just part of growing old—feeling tired, sometimes getting short of breath. But he decided to have it checked out, just in case, and learned he'd need a new heart valve.

A team of physicians coordinated every aspect of his care, "like a bunch of coaches running around," he says. After a quick, painless procedure, Brad was back to his job of being a coach himself.

"The recovery from the TAVR procedure was basically nothing," he says, and urges anyone with symptoms of cardiovascular disease to get it checked out immediately. Today, he's glad he didn't ignore the signs.