Practicing Strength Through Adversity

He’s a singer, songwriter, producer, performer and dogged defier of 2 potentially fatal medical conditions.

Meet entertainer and educator Luke Harbur, of Kansas City, Missouri. Luke required a liver transplant at age 11 months and survived a deadly aortic aneurysm at age 29. In between these life-changing events, he graduated college, traveled the world and embarked on an entertainment career as a singer, songwriter, producer and performer.

Devout to daily exercise, in early 2025 Luke noticed a change in his breathing while working out. Something was off, causing him to tire about 10 to 15 minutes into his routine. He went to the doctor, where tests and scans revealed an alarming discovery that had nothing to do with his liver transplant nearly 3 decades ago.

Luke had a large and growing aortic aneurysm, specifically an aortic root aneurysm that began just above his aortic valve ̶ the large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body. The aortic root is where the aorta and the heart connect.

“An aneurysm is a pathologic dilation of a vessel, and it can rupture. When that happens in the chest, it is often fatal," says Todd Crawford, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at The University of Kansas Health System, where Luke received treatment.

Aortic root aneurysms are less common than other types of aortic aneurysms, such as abdominal aortic aneurysms, but they tend to occur in younger individuals. People born with certain genetic conditions, such as Marfan syndrome, or heart conditions, such as a bicuspid aortic valve, may be more likely to develop an aortic aneurysm.

Luke was born with a heart condition where his aortic valve has only 2 cusps (leaflets) instead of the usual 3. This defect is present at birth and affects about 1-2% of the population. Dr. Crawford says about 40% of patients like Luke will develop aortic dilation.

Dr. Crawford performed a complex 7-hour surgery on Luke. during which time Luke’s heart was stopped for over two hours and he was placed on a cardiopulmonary bypass machine for over 3 hours. A cardiopulmonary bypass machine, or heart-lung machine, takes over the functions of the heart and lungs during open heart surgery, circulating blood and oxygenating it so surgeons can perform delicate procedures on a still heart and lungs.

Dr. Crawford described Luke’s aneurysm as “massive” and says it was at critical risk of dissection or rupture. A normal aortic root on someone of Luke’s size would be around 3.8 centimeters, he says, but Luke’s aortic root was nearly 7 centimeters.

“Aortic dissection or rupture are life-threatening emergencies that about 50% of patients succumb to,” says Dr. Crawford. “The risk goes up with an increase in the diameter of the vessel.” He says Luke’s situation was even more dire than suspected when he saw how thin Luke’s aortic root was. One of the three sinuses of Luke's aortic root was so thin it was translucent and essentially contained by his ventricle.

“My aortic root was being held together, basically, by a single human cell,” says Luke. “I was on borrowed time.” (No one really knows how long he had lived like that or could live like that)

Dr. Crawford says surgical treatment shifted from saving Luke’s aortic valve to replacing it with a valved conduit. Luke’s aortic root and ascending aorta were substituted with a Gelweave™ Valsalva graft, which is a synthetic graft made from tightly woven polyester.

What gave Luke comfort in having the procedure was knowing that Dr. Crawford himself had undergone the same procedure 4 years earlier when he was just a few years older than Luke.

“I wish I didn't have that shared experience, but I certainly do,” says Dr. Crawford. “And I think for someone like Luke, and a lot of younger patients, it’s comforting to have someone who has walked in those shoes and knows what it’s like before, during and after that surgical experience.”

Luke agrees.

“I felt like I had a fraternity brother in the room,” says Luke. “It gave me this sense of, oh, I’m going to be understood if there’s something I need to share or if I’m struggling for any reason before, during and after because he’s lived it.

“I don’t even know how I can express my gratitude to Dr. Crawford and the care team. I was so close to being gone.”

Dr. Crawford says Luke was integral to saving his own life because he was so in tune with his body and knew something was off.

“Luke’s risk of an aortic complication was extremely high,” says Dr. Crawford. “He’s a performer ̶ a rupture could have occurred when he was on stage or working out, which he does all of the time. If rupture occurs, it’s almost always fatal because the pericardium is an enclosed sac and with a large quantity blood that it causes something called cardiac tamponade.”

Cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening condition where the heart can no longer fill, and blood builds up in the pericardium, the sac around the heart. This compresses the heart and prevents it from filling properly, which stops it from pumping enough blood.

Fortunately, cardiac tamponade was avoided. However, Luke did have a setback on day 3 following his surgery. Because Luke’s heart rhythm had been restored and his blood pressure was good, Dr. Crawford removed Luke’s temporary pacing wires, which he’d had since surgery. Pacing wires after cardiac surgery are temporary wires placed on the heart to manage heart rate and rhythm issues by connecting to an external device for electrical stimulation.

Shortly after the wires were removed, Luke went into complete heart block with no escape rhythm. His heart had completely stopped from electrical signal failure. Within seconds of getting CPR, Luke’s heart rhythm came back, but he now needed a pacemaker. The Electrophysiology team at KU implanted a permanent pacemaker.

When he was released from the hospital, Luke spent 5 weeks recovering at his parents. Three months out from surgery, Luke was, “… genuinely feeling pretty amazing.” Shortly after, he resumed weightlifting and performance work.

Luke says recovery was incremental and that it was important he listen to his body. In the beginning, 5-minute walks slowly became 6- or 7-minute walks. Prior to his surgery, Luke took part in touch therapy, which helped him understand the placement of tubes, wires and needles.

“I worked at processing what I was going to go through,” says Luke. “I have done a lot of therapy and meditation, and that has helped me immensely. I want to credit my older brother, Cole, whose practices have helped me over the years.

“I would encourage anyone who goes through a life-changing surgery to get therapy. Learn to be open when it’s difficult because that is how you really process what’s going on in you. I’m about to live a quality of life I haven’t experienced yet.”

Dr. Crawford says it’s unlikely Luke’s liver transplant in infancy or decades of immunosuppressive therapy had anything to do with his developing an aortic aneurysm. “I think these are just 2 separate unfortunate events,” he says. “Luke was born with both maladies, and the universe knew he could handle them.

“Luke has gone through liver transplant, chronic immunosuppression, open heart surgery and a pacemaker implantation ̶ but he doesn’t allow these events to define him. He is an amazing individual who has pushed through adversity and is living life to the fullest. That is a special message he carries to other patients who may be facing a similar predicament.”

Luke shared this thought on social media, “Fear’s greatest enemy is strength through adversity.”