Advancements now allow for some heart surgeries to be performed using minimally invasive procedures ; others , like Dorsey ' s , require open-heart surgery through a large incision in the chest because of the location of the mitral valve .
During the procedure , surgeons replace the damaged valve with either a mechanical valve or a biological valve from either a pig or a cow , which is what Dorsey received .
As if having the surgery in Lexington wasn ' t stressful enough , it occurred at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic , which meant he was left to deal with most of it on his own due to the very strict visitation limits which were in place at the time .
But despite those restrictions , Dorsey said his family members were by his side every second they were allowed .
" Because of Covid I went up there by myself . People couldn ' t come in and out but a certain time of day for a few minutes . It felt kind of like Fort Knox with all the security ," he said . " But despite all that and their busy lives and families in Somerset , both my daughters Samantha and Brittany were there with me for the few minutes they were allowed every day and really helped me and really meant a lot ."
While it meant taking intravenous antibiotics for eight weeks , and several months to recover from the infection , Dorsey said the recovery from the heart surgery was very smooth .
" Going through the heart surgery was the easy part of this ; it wasn ' t bad at all ," said Dorsey . " Once I got the infection out I started walking two or three miles a day again and didn ' t have any problems at all and had no lingering effects after the surgery ."
Dorsey had nothing but praise for his team of providers from Dr . Drake ' s discovery of the AFIB through his surgery and recovery .
" The whole process you have to go through from your diagnosis to the procedures you have to the surgery and treatment afterward , the mental
David Dorsey was the head coach of the Somerset Lady Jumpers softball team . Submitted Photo
" I was shocked . I never dreamed in a million years that I would ever have to have open-heart surgery ..."
— David Dorsey
12 • SEKY - Southeast Kentucky Life february 2025