“I knew I was in good hands.”

December 21 is my second birthday. On this day, my aortic aneurysm was operated on at the USZ.

A week earlier, my family doctor had discovered it by chance during an ultrasound check-up and referred me to the USZ. After a few examinations, it quickly became clear that action had to be taken quickly. I had an aneurysm over eight centimetres in diameter, with the vessel wall only as thick as a cigarette paper at one point. The diagnosis was a real shock for me. I felt healthy, was very busy at work and traveled a lot. And then suddenly there was this aneurysm, which abruptly tore me out of my everyday life. I had never heard of the disease before, so I did a lot of research online and was accordingly worried. The explanatory talks with the staff at the Vascular Surgery Department at the USZ gave me reassurance and confidence. The worries weren’t gone, but I knew I was in good hands and that was helpful. The operation was successful and gave me a second life. Together with my wife, I used the recovery phase as an opportunity to reflect on our lifestyle. In future, I’m going to cut back a bit on my career and place even more emphasis on healthy eating and exercise than I have done so far.