Yet another man has learned the lesson that real men actually do wear gowns.  

He's a native of Great Britain that spent most of his life in Michigan, then retired with his wife and moved to Hot Springs Village.

There was a time that Ron Evans wouldn’t have been caught dead at a health clinic, until he became afraid of really being caught dead. But that was before meeting Dr. Aravind Rao and before he got a routine physical.

“He had a murmur which is like a swishing sound on the chest wall. It comes from the heart,” said Dr. Rao.

Evans had severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, otherwise known as a narrowing of the valve in the heart.

His early diagnosis started a chain of events which eventually called for a minimally invasive valve replacement performed by Dr. Rao.

“I came in on a Tuesday and they did the operation. I was at home again on Wednesday and I felt great,” said Evans.

The surgery was a success and Dr. Rao was quick to give the primary care physician and that early diagnosis a lot of credit.

“If not for him, I don't think he would have come to us,” said Dr. Rao.

Now, Evans is working to protect his heart.

“I’m out in the garden every day, I exercise about an hour every morning.”

The sooner a specialist can find something like this the better.

“We say time is a muscle,” said Dr. Rao.

And more muscle means more time for Ron Evans to garden and to draw cartoons that often include his doctors.

His whimsical drawings have become heart felt thank you notes to all his doctors.

“I always send a birthday card or a Christmas card every year.”

You probably noticed Mr. Evans is currently on oxygen. That's because of a respiratory infection.

But as for his heart, his new valve is working perfectly and he is active again.

His lesson to all men: never be afraid to put on the gown.

© 2017 KTHV-TV