Catherine Reyes

Catherine Alling Reyes is a retired school librarian who was born with a bicuspid aortic valve (or BAV) and a coarctation of the aorta (or CoA).  Her CoA was repaired when she was 8 years old.  Twelve years ago at the age of 44, she had an open-heart surgery to repair an ascending aortic aneurysm, which had been 5 cm, unknown to her, for 5 years.  She still has her BAV and a stable descending aortic aneurysm.  Although she was pregnant 8 times 4 of which resulted in surgery for ectopic pregnancies, she was unable to have a child.  She currently is engaged to marry Mike Brown, a meteorologist.  When they are not tent camping through the American West, she conducts webinars for a library automation software company and shares storytelling at children’s parties, daycares and schools.  She is active on social media sharing her love of reading, literature and books.