📰 From Bellingham to Australia: My Story Travels

maryrburrell
May 7
2 min read

My Heart Story, Their Health Policy

Living with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) isn’t just challenging—it’s exhausting, isolating, and often invisible to the outside world. This condition slowly steals your energy, your independence, and your ability to live life on your terms.

For years, medications were all we had. They helped manage the symptoms—until they didn’t. They never stopped the progression, and over time, even the symptom relief faded.. Open-heart surgery? Too risky for many of us. That’s why EVOQUE has been such a game-changer.

💡 My Experience in the TRISCEND II Trial

I was one of the lucky ones. I got into the TRISCEND II clinical trial, which tested EVOQUE as a less invasive treatment for severe TR. After receiving the EVOQUE valve, everything shifted—my breathing, my energy, my outlook. It didn’t just ease my symptoms; it gave me back parts of myself I thought I’d lost forever.

Now EVOQUE is approved by the FDA here in the U.S.—but across the world, including Australia, patients are still waiting. The device is under evaluation, and for now, people who need it still don’t have access.

🌍 Hearts4Heart Is Amplifying Our Voices

Recently, Tanya from Hearts4Heart shared my story with the Australian Government’s Health Technology Assessment Section (MSAC) to advocate for EVOQUE approval. I was honored to support this effort.

Hearts4Heart is leading the charge in raising awareness and fighting for better access. By sharing my real, lived experience with TR and the difference EVOQUE has made, we’re pushing for change—because no one should be denied the chance to feel better simply because of where they live.

From lived experience to legislative influence. 💪 Heart4Hearts cited my story in their letter to the Australian Health Department, advocating for better access to tricuspid valve therapies. This is why I share—because our stories matter beyond borders.

🚨 Why Access to EVOQUE Matters

TR isn’t just a heart condition—it impacts every part of life:

😓 Crushing fatigue that makes everyday tasks overwhelming
💧 Swelling and fluid retention that lead to frequent ER visits
🫁 Shortness of breath that takes away independence
⏳ A slow decline that feels inevitable without real treatment

For those of us who aren’t surgical candidates, EVOQUE is more than a device—it’s hope.

🛤️ Looking Ahead

Approval processes take time, but we can’t afford to stay silent. Every story shared moves us closer to access for all. I’m grateful to be part of this fight—and I’ll keep telling my story until every person with severe TR has real options.

🗣️ Your voice matters too. If you're living with TR, know someone who is, or care about equitable access to innovative treatments, I invite you to speak up, share, and support groups like Hearts4Heart and Heart Valve Voice US.

🫀 Because second chances aren’t just for some of us—they should be for all of us.

This is how stories become policy.

💬 Let’s raise awareness.Let’s advocate for access.Let’s keep showing up for each other.❤️‍🩹🥑

#GlobalAdvocacy #StillHere #HeartForHearts #TricuspidValveAwareness

#Heart2HeartTalk #HospiceSurvivor #TricuspidValveMiracle #MicAndMission #FromHospiceToHope #PatientVoice #GlobalHealthEquity #ClinicalTrialsMatter