Blown Apart: Norm’s Aortic Aneurysm Story & 7 Years Later

We originally told this story in 2016. It seemed about time to check in with Norm, who survived a massive aortic aneurysm that year, to see how he was doing.

Still Grateful After All These Years

"Last October, I sat on my porch and it was a beautiful day. And I am still alive." Norm tells me. "It's been 7 years, and I'm still here." He's talking about the massive aortic aneurysms he suffered in 2016. At the time, Norm's heart was weak from congestive heart failure. Not every heart specialist has the expertise for this kind of situation. So UVA Health surgeons stepped in to perform what was a very dangerous surgery.

The big things are meaningless. The important things are the small things.

Norm Ratesic

So grateful for his life saved, Norm wrote to his surgeon, thanking him and the whole team for what they did.

No, he's not the picture of health. Norm explains that "the insides are a little worn down. I have 5 different doctors. I had 7 doctor's appointments in February. I take 4 medications every day." But there's not an ounce of self-pity or complaint in his tone.

Instead, Norm's gravely voice conveys a humble wonder. He's proud that, since the operation, he hiked a small part of the Appalachian Trail. He's happy that kicking his daily cola habit helped him lose 5 lbs without trying. And when a neighbor misjudged him as much younger the other week, Norm soaked up the praise.

When asked how he's taken care of himself, he says, "I watch what I eat, lots of fruits and veggies, I walk almost every day, I listen to the doctors. I keep breathing." And of course, the UVA Heart and Vascular teams that keep up with Norm have left him "very pleased. Even during the pandemic, everything goes so smooth, there's a flow to the whole system."

But what Norm prizes above all else is that his daughter asked him to teach his granddaughter how to drive.

"I was so touched Heather Rose trusted me. I am so pleased to teach Caroline how to drive. I just hope I live long enough to do the same thing with my grandson, Lennon. Riding with my granddaughter is really a treat."

Norm tells me more than once that it's this kind of "small" experience that makes him grateful for every day he's here.

"People don't realize how big that feels. Just being alive," he says. "It's hard to make anyone understand. The big things are meaningless. The important things are the small things."

Surviving a Burst Aortic Aneurysm

The original 2016 story.

Norm Ratesic is my neighbor, and he's a kind one. He tolerates our dog eating the cat food he keeps on his front porch; he invites my kids to pick the sour cherries from his tree; he shares his chicken’s fresh eggs. Sometimes he pretends to be a bit crusty and gruff, but no one is fooled: Norm is the type of generous soul you can’t help but like and trust.

Norm, in his mid-60s, has never been a health nut. But he’s always done his yearly physical, and a couple years ago when he went, everything — blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. — looked fine.

“Then I woke up one night. And I couldn’t breathe. Vivian wanted me to go to hospital. Then the doctor wanted me to go to hospital.” Norm was reluctant, but he went to a nearby hospital. And they discovered, “My blood pressure was out of control, out of nowhere. It had been perfectly fine. Then bam!”

A Drastic Diagnosis

The thing was, Norm wasn’t in any pain. “I felt like I ate too much turkey. No pain, just discomfort.” This didn’t seem like a big deal. Still, he underwent the recommended tests.

The diagnosis? Congestive heart failure. But that wasn’t all. “They found I had a large aneurysm on an artery — (a large thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA)). And a second one in my pelvis, too. But they couldn’t operate on it because my heart was not strong enough to withstand the operation.”

Or at least, that’s what they thought at first. And it was a conundrum. An aneurysm occurs when your blood vessel walls get so weak they bulge out; too much bulging, and the walls can burst. A burst aneurysm causes bleeding that is not just dangerous, but fatal. Without treatment, Norm was like a walking time bomb.

There was discussion of stents, defibrillators, other options — the crisis went beyond their expertise.