Singer Amy Grant reflects on rare heart condition that could have killed her

At a cardiologist appointment for her husband, singer-songwriter Amy Grant learned that she — not fellow musician Vince Gill, who turned out to be fine — was the one with a dangerous heart condition.

After giving Gill the OK, the doctor looked at Grant and said, "I want to see you."

The appointment was for her husband; why, she wondered, would her heart need checking out? The request took her aback. The test results, even more so.

She was diagnosed with PAPVR (partial anomalous pulmonary venous return), a rare genetic heart defect affecting 0.7% of the population. The condition causes some blood vessels in the lungs to attach to the wrong place in the heart. That makes the heart have to work especially hard, which can lead to shortness of breath and lung infections as well as other dangerous heart issues.

"No one was more surprised than I was that I was living with this," Grant said. "There was nothing about my life that said, 'You have a ticking time bomb.' But I do."

Although the cardiologist told her medically what PAPVR was, his blunt description put it more fully into perspective. "Amy," he told her, "you'll be fine, fine, fine … and then catastrophic."

"A few months later," she said, "I had open heart surgery that saved my life."

That was in 2020. Four years later, she's strong and healthy, grateful beyond measure to the American Heart Association for its research as well as for its development of medical breakthroughs that give her, she said, "more time to do the things I love with the people I love."

Grant wants to get the word out about the prevalence of heart disease, which remains the No. 1 killer of all Americans and accounts for the deaths of 1 in every 5 women. Nearly 45% of women ages 20 and over have some form of heart disease. Get your heart checked, she urges, even if you have no symptoms. She thought she was fine, too.

"My own birth defect was an encroaching killer and I had no idea," she told People magazine. "So my advice would be to take care of yourself; the world needs you."

Her message is urgent, she said, especially because the cardiovascular risk for women is often overlooked.

"The numbers tell a story we cannot ignore," Grant said. "I'm honored to share my story and ask people to come together, to give generously to the American Heart Association, and to make heart health a priority. A gift could mean the difference between life and death for someone's mother, daughter or sister."

And in the season of giving, contributions will be matched by anonymous donors, amplifying their impact and supporting initiatives through the AHA's 2028 Impact Goal.

Grant knows from experience that most women have trouble putting their proverbial oxygen mask on first. Instead, they put others — children, husbands, grandchildren, friends, neighbors — first, along with work, chores or volunteering. Somewhere way down that list, they might pencil in themselves, at least until something else comes up.

But, Grant stresses: "Listen to your heart. I'm here today because I did."