The title is not a trick. Mr. Charles Okeke had been tethered to an artifical pump in a hospital for over two years before a new portable artificial heart made it possible for him to go home to his wife and two young children.
I'm sharing his dramatic story for two reasons:
First, I want you to meet Mr. Charles Okeke, a model Healthy Survivor. This 43-year-old computer consultant is receiving good care from healthcare professionals and he is living as fully as possible. His story illustrates a few lessons for Healthy Survivors found elsewhere on this blog:
- Children are resilient in the setting of family illness.
- Humor can be healing.
- Patients can separate body parts from their literary meaning. For Okeke, the heart is a muscle -- a pump -- and not the part of him that gives and receives love.
- Home is wherever your family connects, not any specific mortar-and-bricks building.
- Paying attention to the simple things in life can lead to great happiness.
- Healthy hope often revolves around relationships, not health status.
- Expressing gratitude is healing for everyone.
The second reason for this post is to introduce you to the "Healthy and Wellness with Dr. Jennifer Ashton" site, where you can access print and video versions of medical stories. I've been watching Dr. Ashton for the past year and find her work extraordinary. She's professional, an excellent communicator and interviewer, and compassionate.
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