We would have watched a lot of indian movies where the artists would say “I don’t have my heart with me”(En ithayam en kitta illai 
) and a hell lotta songs with the word heart in lyrics.
Why is all this commotion about a muscular organ that is merely the size of our palm, which contracts and expands involuntarily? I didn’t realize the importance of heart even in my Biology classes at high school. Not until the day my father had myocardial infarction.
I’ve met a lot of people in the last 35 days. Inspired by the dedication and commitment of the nurses, Envious about the quality of work done by cardiac surgeons and cardiac consultants, Amazed about the administrative staff being both compassionate and firm (the importance of Hospital Administration course). Hats off to NH
Few small things that impacted me,
- A lady dressed in an ordinary sari, looking at her bills for a long time.
- Cute boy from Gujarath sleeping, unaware that he’ll be operated in a few days.
- A 5 year old kid playing in waiting area after his surgery.
- An infant being shifted for surgery with an oxygen mask bigger than his face.
I do not need a camera to record these little instances. These were big punches on my face that implied my work isn’t as great as cardiologists in terms of challenge and the impact it creates to people around me. Neither could I get comfort from the fact that the product I work on is deployed mostly in health care industry.
I read “Chicken soup for the soul: Heart Disease” in this span of time. It covers everything related to cardiology: Impact of Cholesterol, Stress, Hypertension, facts about CPR, Valve Replacement, Angioplast, Cardiac Arrest and Heart Transplantation. This should be the best gift to a heart patient as it talks about the BP levels, type of food to take, how to deal with emergency situations and more. The right combination of true stories and facts put together. I liked the way the book ends with the story of a lady having done a heart transplantation. She ends it with “After all, every day is a bonus day”.
My dad had the same problem Ex-Cheif Minister of Karnataka had 3 days back. It was surprising for me to see the same description of the problem on newspaper.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/21/stories/2007122153840400.htm
http://www.starofmysore.com/main.asp?type=news&item=15203
Let me end this post with a lil bit of humour. Minutes after my dad was taken for operation, there was a power cut for few seconds. And I was reminded of this video. 
Funny Video (Warning: Not advised for cardiac surgeons. You might get a heart attack)
