Elizabeth Kapovich remembers the exact moment she knew everything was going to be OK.
She was walking down a hospital hallway, just hours after undergoing a minimally invasive heart valve procedure, when the realization hit her. She was moving comfortably. She was breathing easily. The effort she had grown used to was suddenly gone.
“I was walking and breathing at the same time without any effort,” said Kapovich, 83, of Hometown. “That’s when I realized I was going to be OK.”
As February marks National Heart Month, Kapovich is starting 2026 with renewed energy and a deep sense of gratitude after a transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, restored her breath and transformed her daily life. The procedure not only treated a life-threatening heart condition, but also deepened the bond between Kapovich and her son in a way neither expected…