Jerry Falwell, Jr., president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, revealed Wednesday he recently underwent a major surgery to repair a hole in his heart.
“The doctor who performed the surgery told me that I was very fortunate I had not had a major stroke,” Falwell told CBN News. “He is the only doctor in the United States who does this procedure and people fly from all over the world to get this rare procedure done.”
The surgery Falwell underwent — NobleStitch — was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and in layperson’s terms, allows doctors to stitch up holes in a patient’s heart. The other major method for repairing holes in the heart is via open-heart surgery.
According to Josh Moody, a reporter for The News & Advance, Falwell decided to have the cutting-edge surgery after he suffered two strokes, which he revealed in 2016.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon, told Falwell about the surgery at the graduation ceremony for Liberty University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in May. He underwent the procedure on Sept. 11.
Correction: Falwell had the surgery last month. That was unclear in our prior discussion. Said Carson told him about it after he spoke at LUCOM graduation.
— Josh Moody (@byJoshMoody) October 3, 2018
Falwell said President Trump called him after the surgery to check in. Since Ben Carson told Falwell about it, he said Trump claimed credit.
— Josh Moody (@byJoshMoody) October 3, 2018
Falwell: “[Ben Carson] said I was very fortunate that I didn’t have a major stroke."
— Josh Moody (@byJoshMoody) October 3, 2018
The 56-year-old university president said it’s “a miracle” Carson, who spoke at the graduation, was there and knowledgeable enough to recommend the NobleStitch procedure.
Describing the surgery, Falwell said, “They go in through your groin area and close holes in hearts. The procedure is far superior to the old method because they don’t leave any device or plug in the heart.”
Falwell’s beloved father, Jerry Falwell, Sr., died in 2007 of cardiac arrhythmia.
Falwell, who has been a very active and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, said he called the commander in chief the night before the surgery. He said Trump “was amazed at what he heard” and praised Carson for his understanding of “cutting-edge” medical treatments.
According to Moody, the president called Falwell after the procedure to “check in.”
Falwell’s recovery has gone smoothly. He said Wednesday he “was back in the gym within a week” of the procedure.