I'm not one to go crazy over Valentine's Day. However, I have decided to leave you all with a classic "heart" photo! This is a photo of my brother, Michael's, two hearts. It was taken in the OR on Dr. Cusimano's camera [I'm frequently asked if I took the photo, which I did not] during his heart transplant surgery on October 27th, 2010. The hearts are being held over Michael's resting body. The heart on the left is Michael's original, enlarged heart. The one on the right is his new, donated heart. Michael's first comment after seeing this photograph was "there's no question that I needed the transplant".
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| Michael's two hearts. |
Some details for those who are not sqeamish! Dr. Cusimano is holding the old heart with his thumb in the aorta. Also, the wire coming out of the old heart is the remnants of Michael's implanted defibrillator, which was removed during the transplant. The metal bar running along the bottom [near the gauze] is calleed a separator and is holding Michael's ribs open. The blood-filled tube running over the separator is redirecting Michael's blood to the heart-blood machine which oxygenatesd his blood during the surgery. The yellow on the new heart is fat. Our hearts need a healthy amount of fat on them.
Happy Valentine's day!!!
