fragile
lives
Profesor
Stephen Westaby
An incredible memoir from one of the world’s most
eminent heart surgeons, recalling some of the most remarkable and
poignant cases he’s worked on.
Grim Reaper sits on the heart surgeon’s shoulder. A slip of the hand
and life ebbs away.
The balance between life and death is so delicate, and the heart surgeon
walks that rope between the two. In the operating room there is no time
for doubt. It is flesh, blood, rib-retractors and pumping the vital
organ with your bare hand to squeeze the life back into it. An off-day
can have dire consequences – this job has a steep learning curve, and
the cost is measured in human life. Cardiac surgery is not for the faint
of heart.
Professor Stephen Westaby took chances and pushed the boundaries of
heart surgery. He saved hundreds of lives over the course of a
thirty-five year career and now, in his astounding memoir, Westaby
details some of his most remarkable and poignant cases – such as the
baby who had suffered multiple heart attacks by six months old, a woman
who lived the nightmare of locked-in syndrome, and a man whose life was
powered by a battery for eight years.
A powerful, important and incredibly moving book, Fragile Lives offers
an exceptional insight into the exhilarating and sometimes tragic world
of heart surgery, and how it feels to hold someone’s life in your hands.