Creating a Climate of Hope, an Atmosphere of Caring, and Information for All
Doug Grieshop - Bicuspid Aortic Valve and Aortic Rupture
September is that golden month when summer turns into fall. It was a special month for
Doug and Stacey Grieshop, with very special days to remember. Doug's birthday was
September 19th, followed by their wedding anniversary three days later on September 22nd.
In 2004, September 19th was a Sunday, and Doug spent his birthday doing some of the
active, physical things he enjoyed, including playing golf. In a few days, it would be three
years since Doug and Stacey were married in a simple ceremony in Pigeon Forge,
Tennessee.
There was another reason for special joy in their household this September. Just the week
before Doug's birthday, they learned that the baby they were expecting was a girl. Looking
forward to the arrival of a little sister for Grant, together they chose her name, Olivia
Katherine.
September 20, 2004
On Monday morning, September 20th, Doug began the day early, around 5:30 AM. First
riding to the construction site with coworkers, then getting started on the job, it was a typical
Monday at work. Those with him that morning all remember Doug being his usual happy self,
joking with them on the drive to work and during the break they took around 10 o'clock.
A little while after that break Doug started up a ladder leading to the building's roof. Wearing
his welder's helmet, he was about half way up when he stopped and, without saying
anything, came back down. When he reached the ground, he stumbled to his left and
collapsed. It was 10:50 AM.
A construction site must be prepared for emergencies, and there were several present with
EMT training. Within 10 seconds, the superintendent was at Doug's side. Pulling off Doug's
welder's helmet, he saw that Doug's face was blue. He immediately began CPR. The
Rescue Squad, located nearby, reached Doug within three to five minutes. They did
everything possible, including shocking him. There was no pulse. From the moment Doug
fell to the ground, there was no response at all to efforts to revive him. Doug was transported
to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. According to the report from the
coroner's office, it was 11:36 AM.
Phone calls were being made. Doug worked for his father-in-law's company. When the
superintendent called the office, it was Doug's brother-in-law who answered, and it was
Stacey's own father who would call her.
"I am five months pregnant. Can you tell me if he is alive?"
At 11:30 AM, Stacey also was at work. She was just getting ready to leave for lunch when
her Dad called, telling her "Doug has had a heart attack." Driven home by two coworkers,
Stacey then called the hospital. Speaking to someone there about Doug, she found herself
saying what was uppermost in her mind, "I am five months pregnant. Can you tell me if he is
alive?" Stacey remembers the woman diverting the conversation, asking her things like what
medications Doug was taking. Describing that phone call now, Stacey says, "She never
answered my question. When I got off the phone, I knew that Doug was dead."
After an hour and a half drive, Stacey arrived at the hospital with her parents and brother.
When she was shown into a little room after giving her name at the desk, it was just another
confirmation that Doug was already gone. Other people were there, including several from
the work site. Stacey just said, "Where is he?" Warned first about what to expect when she
saw him, she was given time with Doug's body.
An Autopsy and Discovery of a Bicuspid Aortic Valve
At the hospital Stacey remembers the coroner telling her, "I don't know why your husband
died." An autopsy was performed, and at 7 AM the next morning the coroner called. It was
then that Stacey learned that Doug did not have a heart attack. For the first time, she heard
about something else in the chest that can take life suddenly. The coroner told Stacey an
aortic rupture had taken Doug's life.
The case summary from the coroner's office tells more of the story. Doug had a bicuspid
aortic valve. And right next to the place where Doug's aorta ruptured that day, there was an
"old partial-thickness rupture of the ascending aorta".
Chest Pain, June 2003
When did that first aortic tearing or "partial-thickness rupture" happen? Dissection (tearing)
of the aorta is usually associated with excruciating pain, and Stacey remembers well one
summer night in June 2003.
That evening after work, Doug was relaxing in his recliner about 7 pm when he felt severe
pain in his chest, radiating to his neck and left arm. Stacey knew the pain must be
unbearable because he agreed to go to the Emergency Room. There, he had an EKG, blood
work was done, and his blood pressure lowered.
There was no sign of a heart attack, but Doug was kept overnight for observation. Since
Doug's father had already had bypass surgery due to severe coronary artery disease, they
were relieved that a heart attack had been ruled out.
Doug was given medication for anxiety. The pain in his chest had been severe, and Doug
would gladly take that medicine if it could prevent this from happening again. From that day
forward, he took it faithfully each day, including the morning of the day he died.
Doug's blood pressure was high, and they were advised that the next week he should have
his blood pressure checked each day in a doctor's office. It was difficult for Doug to do that
while working. With the chest pain gone it did not seem urgent, and Doug's blood pressure
was not treated with medication.
Back Pain, September 2004
On September 11th, Doug did some heavy lifting, moving a generator that weighed at least
100 pounds. The following week he had what he described as bad pain in his back and
shoulder. They assumed at the time it was just from the lifting he had done. There was no
reason to think it was anything else, but now there are lingering doubts about the source of
that pain. The day before his death, September 19th, Doug was very physically active and
never mentioned any pain in his back at all.
There were other things that are remembered about Doug: in addition to his high blood
pressure, he got nose bleeds easily, had headaches since he was a little boy, and
sometimes said he could only see straight ahead. When he looked to the sides, it was just
black. One day in August 2003, Doug suddenly got a severe headache at work. He said it
felt like someone put a rod through his head. It was thought to be a severe migraine.
Going on Without Doug
What do you say when your little boy cries for Daddy? How do you manage to eat, to take
care of yourself, knowing there is a new life within you, depending on you? How do you face
day after day without your husband? Four months after his death, how do you give birth
without him? How do you go on?
Stacey Grieshop has faced all those questions, done all those things. She has searched for
meaning, for a purpose in all of this tremendous loss and pain. It is her hope that in telling
Doug's story, someone else's life may be saved.
September 2005
Again in September, the seasons change as summer turns into fall. But this year and always,
for all those who knew and loved Doug, September can never be the same. There are no
words to describe the emptiness without him. Little Grant looks at Doug's picture, not able to
understand why Daddy doesn't come home. Baby Olivia will not have memories of her
Daddy, but Stacey will tell her about him - how he helped choose her name, how much he
loved her, and how he looked forward to the day she would be born.
September 2012
It is not enough, but beautiful memories of this strong, vibrant young man have been left with
those who love him. And his smile, his walk, the sparkle in his eyes are still with them, living
again through his children, whom he left much too soon on that sad September day.
Doug Grieshop
On the morning of
September 20, 2004, the
day following his 33rd
birthday, Doug died
suddenly due to rupture
of his ascending aorta.
On September 20, 2005,
Celina, Ohio, Doug and
Stacey's home, proclaimed
September as TAD
Awareness Month.
Wedding Day
September 22, 2001
A bright future stretched
before them on their
wedding day. Doug died
two days before their third
anniversary.
Grant and Olivia
Olivia was born four
months after Doug’s death.
Loving Father
Doug and Grant
Aortic rupture robbed this
little boy of his Daddy.