AMES — Good news, Cyclone fans. According to a media release issued by the Mayo Clinic on Wednesday morning, Iowa State head basketball coach Fred Hoiberg will be released from the hospital on Thursday following the replacement of his aortic valve on April 17 in Rochester, Minn.
“This was a second open heart surgery for Mr. Hoiberg, so it was a long operation, but because he is in such good shape and healthy, he is recovering quickly,” Rakesh Suri, M.D., Mayo Clinic cardiovascular surgeon who performed Hoiberg’s surgery said in the release. “He will do well, and his prognosis is for a normal life.”
Hoiberg spoke about his recovery in a video that you can view above.
Because of his reach, Iowa State’s beloved basketball coach has recently vowed to spread the word about heart health.
“I think I’m a perfect example of somebody that was born with heart disease, that had no symptoms, but was very lucky to find out about my condition,” Hoiberg said. “And I think it’s very important to get the word out to make sure people get checked, because you never know. Heart disease doesn’t discriminate. It affects millions of people. It’s the number one killer of people in the world. So we can help people by talking about it and making sure they get checked. You know, that’s a great thing.”
According to the release, Hoiberg had surgery to repair an aortic root aneurysm in 2005. At that time, it was predicted that a heart valve replacement was likely in his future. Last week’s operation did not come at a surprise.
Hoiberg said that he feels relieved to finally have the procedure behind him.
