As a young person, aging and heart-health was as distant from my mind as hospitals and doctors. Growing older, heart ailments were still conditions that beset other people, more likely other people’s uncles or aunts. Ironically, working with a super-specialty hospital network placed me in daily proximity to patients with serious illnesses but this very familiarity forced a certain distance. I was however always moved (one cannot fail to be) witnessing surgical procedures, performed by incredibly talented surgeons, and beholding aspects of the anatomy that few ever get to see. The one that made the most lasting impact was the open heart surgery that allowed me to witness an aging woman’s heart, stilled for a few historic minutes in her life…
So today, when I met a man facing the prospect of a cardiac procedure, I am overwhelmed by a sense of empathy for him as he prepares for what lies ahead. I might have mouthed a platitude about stenting being such a routine procedure, performed every day, but it flashed through my mind that our hearts are at the core of who we are and it would be unnatural for anyone to face any cardiac intervention with equanimity. I wish you well Mr. ___
