'Take care of yourself': Amy Grant shares health update after heart surgery

Amy Grant has advice for those who think they are in good health: Get a professional "to check it out."

Grant revealed in February 2020 she was diagnosed with a heart condition called partial anomalous pulmonary venous return, undergoing open-heart surgery in June.

Now eight months after her surgery, Grant is sharing a health update and message about her experience with her heart defect in an interview on "Good Morning America" Wednesday.

"I feel fantastic. I just have this feeling like this is going to be the best year yet. I love it," Grant said.

The singer unknowingly lived with the heart condition since birth, but was diagnosed last year after her doctor insisted Grant get a check-up while accompanying husband Vince Gill on a doctor's visit.

"My birth defect was an encroaching killer and I had no idea," Grant said. "My advice would be to take care of yourself, the world needs you."

When she revealed her condition via social media, Grant gave credit to her doctor, who urged her to go through "a battery of tests" due to her father's heart history.

After discovering the defect, open heart surgery was the next step to treat the condition. The doctor said If the condition wasn't discovered, it could've potentially killed her in the next two or three years.

"The first good news is that I am completely asymptomatic," she wrote on social media at the time. "The second good news is that it’s fixable, so instead of concerts and camping trips this summer, I am going to take care of my heart."

More: Amy Grant reveals her scar from open heart surgery, opens up about 'miraculous' recovery

Ten days after her surgery she posted her surgery scar to Instagram and told fans about how she felt post operation: "My recovery has honestly felt miraculous. And so I want to say thank you to each person who said a prayer for me."

The musician has a message to others about how to better manage their health.

"You don't really know what's going on on the inside. I think women tend to put their health on the back burner. It's more like 'oh my children, my grandchildren, my work, my spouse,' all of those things, and we need the gift of each other," Grant said.

"Even if you go 'oh I got nothing on the radar' just get somebody else to check it out," she said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amy Grant shares health update after open-heart surgery