North Texas CEO & triathlete never thought he'd need heart surgery, but he did
PLANO, Texas --- Drew Naukam has been active all his life, participating in numerous physical activities.
"I think if you asked my mom, she would tell you that I'm not very good at sitting still," Naukam said, joking.
Wakeboarding. Rock climbing. Marathons. Soccer. Even pickleball with his wife.
Yet the North Texas CEO and triathlete ended up having to have heart surgery, despite feeling completely healthy.
At age 49, Naukam went in for an annual checkup with his doctor. However, despite being very physically fit, the doctor noticed a heart murmur, or irregular heartbeat. After more testing and analysis, doctors diagnosed Naukam with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve. Naukam was born with only two chambers in one of his four valves. Normal health hearts have three chambers, or leaflets, on each valve to pump blood to the heart.
"You go through life thinking that you're bulletproof," Naukam said. "I never thought in a million years that I had a problem."
Naukam said he was referred to Baylor Scott & White, Heart Hospital, one among the top 1 percent of hospitals in the country for cardiac surgery. Naukam was also able to get treated by Dr. Katherine Harrington, heart surgeon at Baylor Scott & White, The Heart Hospital - Plano and a specialist in aortic valve surgery.
According to Harrington, Naukam's disease is common but could be deadly if not treated.
"He was born with basically a congenital heart issue, and it came to a head when he was in his mid-40s, which is common for that disease," Harrington said.
The heart surgery was only the first step for Naukam. The next step was going through rigorous recovery and rehabilitation for weeks.
Naukam said once he started to feel better and decided to run a marathon three weeks after his surgery. He said the nurses and doctors, especially Harrington, now hold a special place in his heart.
"The emotional side of this process is really, really challenging," Kaukam said. "I didn't appreciate that until I went through it, but it helped knowing I had people there that were cheerleaders for me."
After Naukam's surgery, Naukam said he felt called to do something to promote heart health. He and his wife partnered with the American Heart Association and sponsored Collin County's Heart Fest. Naukam even invited Harrington and his nurses to help speak at the event and be advocates for heart health and prevention.
"It's important to get screened," Harrington said. "We've got ways to check people at every age. You have to go into your primary care doctor to get that done and then they can lead you to specialist if needed and then watching cholesterol and watching the diet is probably the second most important thing."
In 2024, Naukam is not missing a beat. He is once again running marathons and his own company. He said he hopes his heart story can help others.
"I just want to send the message about how important it is to get checked, because you never know what's going on inside your body. I'm a great example of that," Naukam said.