Taylor woman doing better after revolutionary heart procedure
A medical procedure said to be the first of its kind for Central Texas has given a Taylor woman with a history of heart problems a new lease life on life, she says.
The news about Charlotte Wells’ recovery aligns with National Wear Red Day 2026, celebrated Friday. The observance, which asks people to don red attire, seeks to create more awareness that the leading cause of death for women is cardiovascular disease.
Heart problems have been a part of Wells’ life for as long as she can remember.
She had open-heart surgery at the age of 10 and had a heart-valve procedure called transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement performed in July.
Today, Wells, 79, is enjoying life and doing everyday activities such as quilting without fatigue.
“I’ve felt better ever since the procedure,” Wells said.
The procedure was performed by a team of doctors from Baylor Scott & White-Round Rock led by Leticia Castillo Kontak.
The hospital was the first in Central Texas to perform this procedure, officials said.
“It’s always good to learn about new procedures and to be able to perform them,” Castillo Kontak said.
According to medical personnel, Wells underwent the minimally invasive procedure designed to be an alternative to open-heart surgery. The valve is delivered through a small incision in the groin and a bovine pericardial valve — constructed from thin cow heart sac tissue — is placed into the heart using catheter through the femoral vein.
Prior to the procedure, Wells’ health declined significantly during the past two years. Simple activities like quilting or doing laundry left her exhausted.
After her symptoms worsened last spring, tests performed by her doctor deemed her a candidate for the procedure. The process moved quickly with a clinic visit, a call from the cardiac office and surgery the following week, officials said.
Since the procedure, Wells said she has shown dramatic improvement. She’s back to quilting, doing chores and moving through daily life without being tired.
Wells and her daughter, Kai Bumpus, recently started a new hobby at the Hutto YMCA – low-impact chair yoga.
“We enjoyed our first few sessions,” Wells said. “We plan on doing this regularly.”
In addition to chair yoga, Charlotte and her daughter also participate in water aerobics at the YMCA.
According to Kaitlyn Karmout, a Baylor Scott & White Health spokeswoman, the mother and daughter have become each other’s biggest motivators.
“They encourage one another to stay active, focus on strength and mobility, and continue working on Charlotte’s breathing as she rebuilds her stamina,” Karmout said.
Wells celebrates her 80th birthday June 8. Born in 1946 in Wichita, she moved to Denver as a child.
It was in Denver when Wells’ mother discovered her daughter wasn’t feeling well. According to Wells, the doctors wrote her mother off as a “worry wart.”
It was later revealed Wells had a silverdollar size hole in her heart, which required open-heart surgery as a child. That earned Wells a spot in the medical books as one of the first patients in the U.S. to undergo the procedure.
Wells worked as a cosmetologist in Louisiana for nearly 60 years. She moved to the Austin area to be closer to family, living in Pflugerville from 2018-23 before relocating to Taylor.
