Can you imagine what your life would be like if your heart's pumping function were performed by a machine instead of living flesh?
D'Zhana Simmons, a fourteen year old girl can answer this question from personal experience. She says that in the 118 days her life was sustained by an artificial heart, she felt like a "fake person."
Earlier this year, D'Zhana got the gift of life. Her failing enlarged heart was replaced with a transplanted heart. When the transplanted heart was not functioning properly, and doctors were concerned it might rupture, they decided on the safest course. They removed the first transplanted heart and kept the girl alive with an artificial heart for the 118 day wait before her second transplanted heart took over the pumping job. D'Jhana is doing well. Coincidentally, this week brought news of the the death of cardiac surgeon
Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz who performed the first human heart transplant in the US in 1967. Dr. Kantrowitz also pioneered the development of mechanical devices to help the heart pump blood that ultimately lead to the articifical heart.
D'Zhana tells us what we already know. The heart is a very special organ that does more than just pump blood. Think of all the metaphors that contain the word heart from the heart-shaped Valentine to your open-hearted friend. You may have had a change of heart or suffered through a heart-break. You may play a song by heart. The heart has come to symbolize a sense of caring and connection.
The holiday season that embodies the spirit of gratitude is just around the corner. Maybe as you enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner, you can think about that fist shaped muscle that sits in your chest and assures that every cell in your body gets nutrients every moment of every day. And so much more.
Fun Fact: If you live a normal lifespan, the volume of blood your heart pumps would fill Central Park 50 feet deep.
Vicki Rackner MD is a surgeon who left the operating room to help patients and their family caregivers manage their health through her company Medical Bridges . Dr. Rackner is the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Heart Disease. To contact her, email DrRackner@MedicalBridges.com or call (425) 451-3777
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