Jackson Heart Institute Repairs Critical Aortic Tear in Emergency Open-Heart Surgery

By: Ruelle Champion

In August 2025, what began as an ordinary afternoon, quickly became a life-altering moment for Damaris Hernandez Limonta, 60.

“I didn’t feel anything at first,” Hernandez Limonta said. “My son was the one who realized something was wrong when I was short of breath and he saw that I was turning purple.”

She was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital on August 16, where doctors recognized how serious her condition was.

Hernandez Limonta had an aortic dissection, or tear in her aorta, caused by blood leaking into her aortic wall.

“When I heard them say they needed to notify my family, I knew it was bad,” Hernandez Limonta said. “I became very nervous, and after that, I don’t remember much.”

Farhang Yazdchi, MD, medical director of aortic surgery for Jackson Heart Institute, was in charge of Hernandez Limonta’s care. He told her she was critically ill and needed surgery. Even in that moment, Hernandez Limonta remained calm and hopeful.

“I’m a positive woman,” she said. “I told the doctor, ‘We’ll see each other down the road.’”

Because Hernandez Limonta had low oxygen levels in her blood after surgery, she was placed on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) to support her lungs. She was taken off of VV ECMO a few days later.

“When they removed the breathing tube, about two hours later, I started recognizing my family,” she recalled. “I didn’t even know where I was.”

Hernandez Limonta went home two weeks later. Her post-surgery instructions were strict; lose weight, start an exercise routine, and manage high blood pressure. Since the procedure, she’s lost nearly 50 pounds and returned to working from home.

“I’m not exactly the same as before,” she shared. “But I’m alive, positive, and moving forward.”

Hernandez Limonta recalled the emotional moment of seeing Dr. Yazdchi for her follow-up appointment.

“He didn’t even recognize me,” she said. “I had arrived so sick, and I looked completely different. I truly believe I’m a miracle.”

She recalls her experience at Jackson as unmatched, and is grateful for the second chance at life.

“If someone tells me they have chest pain, I say, ‘Go straight to Jackson. Don’t go anywhere else,’” Hernandez Limonta said. “I have no complaints, and give them 100 out of 100. They saved my life.”