Fragile Lives by Stephen Westaby

Author : Fragile Lives
Title : Stephen Westaby
Published : 2017
Publisher : Harper Collins
Pages : 320
Genre : Autobiography / Medical

     The 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 certainly not for the faint of heart. Professor Stephen Westaby took chances and pushed the boundaries of modern 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.

     At the moment I seem to be on somewhat of a non-fiction kick, It is a way to expand my understanding of this planet I call home. I suppose much like me, we take out medical professionals for granted. We assume that when we go into a hospital the people who are there to help know exactly what they are doing. But have you ever stopped to wonder just how they came to be there? The thousands of hours that go into making them the top of there fields. So It was here that I came to meet Professor Stephen Westaby. Within the pages of this book, he sets out to tell us just what he has devoted he whole life to. 

     I have only ever met a few specialists in my time in the field of medicine and frankly, they have struck me as being very egotistical. To be fair to them maybe it is a right they have earnt. But to me, they came across as short and rude. But in my meeting with this author, he strikes me as someone who understands that when people come to meet him they are never in there best place. He strives to comfort them all the while trying to do a job that can never be easy. He breaks the book down, by giving us stories of the people he has helped. As he does this he explains the operations he performs in as much detail as he can without overwhelming the reader. It is a fine line to have to walk. Most of what he described deals with a great deal of medical jargon which for me at least would go spiraling over my head if not for the time and care he takes in describing what is going on to his reader. 

     This is a man who I have come to have so much respect for. At no point does it feel like he is screaming look at me, look how great I am. He is someone who has a genuine need and desire to try and help the world. It strikes me that some times people such as the professor are in short supply. Everything he strives for is to help those who need it the most. But he is also not a man to judge those who came across his table. There were times in my reading that I was not sure I would be able to make the same decisions as he did. His moral compass is definitely in the right direction. I can firmly say that I learned so much from the reading of this fantastic book. He guides us with a gentle hand the whole way through. It is his aim to try and better educate the reader as to just what a heart surgeon does. I can no longer take such people for granted. 

     I realize this is probably not a subject matter that comes up to much in conversation. It may even be one that has never even crossed your mind. I doubt it would, it is something that you would probably only think about if you were about to go under the knife. Either way, there is a great deal for you to take away. It is at times a brutally honest account of the life of one man. He spares no detail and as you would imagine the talk of blood and cutting is never too far from the reader's eyes. So I would just bear that in mind before picking it up. But you will not be disappointed should you choose to spend some time with the professor.