“VA gave me a second chance and my life back”

From the rivers of Vietnam to the hills of Colorado  

Dennis Dubas is a 78-year-old U.S. Navy Veteran who served 2 combat tours in Vietnam alongside the U.S. Marines.  

“I was brown water Navy,” he said. “I operated amphibious landing craft in and out of combat landing zones. We’d land Marines directly on beaches, inland waterways or wherever needed.” 

In March 1966, at the age of 19, he saw his first combat during Operation Jackstay in the Rung Sat Special Zone of the Mekong Delta. In all, he participated in 8 combat missions with the Marines during his time in Vietnam. 

Since his discharge from the Navy, Dubas has lived in Colorado, staying active into his 70s, through yardwork, hiking and house projects, so when he couldn’t finish a familiar trail, it concerned him.  

The hills said something’s wrong  

In September 2024, while hiking with his niece, Dubas was suddenly unable to continue. His legs gave out. His breathing became shallow.  

For a few weeks, he’d been feeling out of sorts. He was tired. His body wasn’t keeping up. For the first time, he didn’t think he could push through.  

“I had to stop and lean against a tree,” he said. “That’d never happened before. I always told myself, if you can’t hike these hills, it’s time to see the doctor.”

His doctors confirmed a case of severe aortic stenosis, a life-threatening heart condition where a heart valve narrows so much that blood can barely pass through.  A normal valve opening is about the size of a nickel. Dubas’s was smaller than the tip of a pencil. 

A new option at VA Eastern Colorado 

His VA care team proposed a minimally invasive procedure called transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR.  

“I needed multiple heart function tests to confirm I could safely undergo the procedure,” said Dubas. “If I couldn’t, they gave me a year, maybe 2.” 

With a TAVR, instead of opening the chest for traditional open-heart surgery, a team of cardiologists and surgeons makes a small cut in the groin and then inserts and guides a new valve to the heart through a major blood vessel.  

TAVR was first approved in 2011 for patients who were too high-risk for open-heart surgery. In 2019, it became an option for lower-risk patients. Today, it is the most common treatment for severe aortic valve disease.

Bringing it to VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System took several years of coordination and support across surgery, cardiology and executive leadership, including Chief of Cardiology Dr. Greg Schwartz and Chief of Staff Dr. Matthew Talarczyk. 

Cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists and imaging staff trained together for over a year. They held weekly planning meetings and practiced the procedure as a team multiple times to ensure everything was in place before operating on a patient. 

Dubas passed the necessary tests and was approved for heart surgery. His VA Eastern Colorado team had trained, prepared and were ready.

Twenty people ready, just in case

On April 21, 2025, Dubas became the first Veteran in the region and in VA Rocky Mountain Network (VISN 19) to undergo TAVR at a VA medical center. 

Dr. Neel Butala, VA Eastern Colorado’s medical director of structural heart disease, said they performed Dubas’s case successfully thanks to preparation.  

“We had more than 20 people on standby—cardiology, cardiac surgery, imaging and anesthesiology—ready in case we had to switch to open-heart surgery,” Butala said. “Thankfully, everything went like clockwork.”  

The procedure took about 40 minutes.  

“He woke up and said, ‘Doc, I feel great. I can literally see more clearly now,’” Dr. Butala said.

A new future becomes possible 

Reflecting on learning his heart was weakening, Dubas said he began preparing for assisted living. 

He lost his spouse of 51 years after a 3-year battle with cancer, a little over 2 years earlier and didn’t think he could manage his health and home on his own. 

“I was preparing for the end,” said Dubas. “I was going to sell my house because I would need round-the-clock help if the surgery didn’t work. Now I’m reconsidering.” 

His family also rallied to help with his healing and recovery. 

“When you lose a spouse, things change,” he said. “You don’t even realize how much until the day you try to get by without them. Since, I’ve relied heavily on my daughter. Her and my grandson are my rock. Driving me home from surgery, letting me recover at her place, driving 60 miles to mow my yard. She’s an amazing daughter and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.” 

The heart of his story  

After surgery, Dubas walked the hallway twice, completely pain-free and without the need for pain medication that evening. Within 24 hours, he was home. 

“Before surgery, I could barely get out of a chair,” Dubas said. “Now I’m back on my feet and looking forward to doing my own yardwork again.”  

He was deeply touched by the care and support he got from his VA team.  

“They made me feel safe,” he said. “I was part of something special. I wasn’t alone.”   

A second chance for more Veterans  

Veterans no longer need to seek community care for this heart valve procedure, reducing wait times for high-risk patients who can’t afford delays.  

Dr. Muhammad Aftab, VA Eastern Colorado’s surgical director of structural heart disease and chief of cardiac surgery, said the team has successfully performed several TAVR surgeries within days of the service being available.  

“This has changed how we care for Veterans with severe aortic stenosis,” Aftab said. “We’re proud to offer it at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. It wouldn’t be possible without the teamwork between our surgical, cardiology, ICU and nursing teams.”  

Dubas agrees.  

“I’m alive because of these doctors,” he said. “VA gave me a second chance and my life back.”  

Jesus Flores is a writer and editor on the VISN 19 Creative Task Force and a Marine Corps Veteran