In early 2023, Lane Howard, wife of consumer advocate Clark Howard, noticed he was constantly exhausted and looked a pallid gray.
Worried, she convinced him to check with a cardiologist, who proffered bad news: Howard had a failing aortic valve in his heart that could kill him in a year or less. He needed a replacement.
Fortunately, Dr. Vinod Thourani at Piedmont Hospital offered him an experimental method that did not involve opening up his chest. On Dec. 6, 2023, Howard had aortic valve replacement surgery. It worked. He was up and walking that night and was back to work full time within a month.
A year later, Howard, now 69, said he feels rejuvenated.
“I feel great and I am working just the right amount,” Howard said. “I learned how important family and friends are when the chips were down a year ago.”
Howard ended his daily syndicated radio show at the end of 2020 but is now thriving with a daily podcast. Locally, he continues to provide daily commentaries for WSB radio, news reports for Channel 2 Action News and a regular column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He now splits his time among homes in New York City, Atlanta and Jacksonville, Florida. And he was inducted into the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame this past fall.