Paul's Story

At 100 years old, Paul Ivan is thriving — living proof that age is just a number. But last fall, this wasn’t the case. An active Paul began noticing that breathing and movement were becoming more difficult.

“The walk from the car to the senior center would totally exhaust me by the time I got there,” Paul said.

Determined to regain his active lifestyle, Paul took action. He met with Luay Sayed, MD, an interventional cardiologist, to explore options for improving his quality of life.

Dr. Sayed recommended and performed a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (or, TAVR) procedure, a minimally invasive procedure developed about 10 years ago to help with aortic stenosis — a narrowing of the aortic valve that restricts blood flow to the heart and the rest of the body.

Earlier this year, Paul underwent a successful TAVR at Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital, becoming the hospital’s 400th patient to receive the procedure.

“I had to do it, because the ladies in my group, they would have really missed me,” Paul joked, referring to his friends at the senior center. “Now, that isn’t a problem anymore. It’s so great to feel good again.”

In July 10, Paul returned to the hospital to celebrate his centennial birthday with his Troy hospital care team.

Today, Paul continues to embrace life with energy and enthusiasm, learning a new language online, keeping up a daily routine of pushups, sit-ups, and cardio exercises, and earning praise for his oil paintings.

Dr. Sayed said Paul’s age is much less a factor than his good physical condition and motivated mindset. “He inspires all of us, reminding us how important it is to take care of ourselves if we want to live healthy, engaged lives.”

The Corewell Health cardiology team has performed thousands of TAVR procedures across Michigan.