Robyn, Ethan and I want to wish all of our friends in the United States a very “Happy Thanksgiving!”.  And, even if you’re not from the U.S., we want you to know how grateful we are for you and your contribution to this caring community of patients, caregivers, cardiologists and surgeons.

So you know, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

May you have a wonderful day!

Gobble! Gobble!

Robyn, Ethan and I want to wish everybody a very happy and very safe Halloween!

For his 2nd Halloween, Ethan is dressing up as “DJ Lance Rock” from the hit television show Yo Gabba Gabba.  The show has become a morning staple for Ethan as he gulps down his first glass of milk. Ethan loves running around, screaming “Yoooooooo” as waves his hands in the air like DJ Lance Rock.

The popularity of DJ Lance Rock (played by 45-year old Lance Robertson) can not be understated — as shown in the picture below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past 4 years, many of you have written me with excellent and innovative suggestions for improving this website. As a result, we have created some great new services including the Heart Valve Surgeon Database and Heart Valve Journals.

Today, I am excited to share with you the new design for this blog. The new “look-and-feel” was developed to address many of your ideas including:

• Bigger, easier-to-read text. You will notice the letters of the body text are much BIGGER in 14 point size. Also, the text now has a gray overtone to ease the contrast on your eyes.
• Access information faster. You will notice two buttons in the upper right hand corner marked “Find Surgeons” and “Meet Patients”. When clicking these buttons, you will be taken directly to The Heart Valve Surgeon Database and Heart Valve Journals.
• Enhanced comments section. You will also notice the comments section is completely different. Now, in addition to a much larger font, each comment is separated by “quote bubbles” with individual name identifiers. I want to make sure that all of your insightful comments and questions are highlighted for others to learn from.
• Clutter removal. Finally, we removed other content (links, text) that cluttered the previous design. We even removed certain functions (email sharing, printing, etc.) to clean the screen and better organize content.

Going forward, we may make a few more changes. But, for now, I’m curious to know what you think about this new design. Do you like it? Do you hate it? Do you like parts of it? Do you dislike parts of it? To leave a comment, simply click here. (You can be honest. I’m a big boy and can take the criticism.)

Keep on tickin!

I am a huge fan of all types of music – from classic rock to jazz to country to opera to new age. I even play a few instruments including the guitar and bass.

On that note (pun intended), it was 1987 when I first listened to Sting’s second solo release, Nothing Like The Sun. On that cd, there was an incredibly soothing song that would eventually become one of my favorites. That song is “Be Still My Beating Heart”.

I’m not sure if you have similar musical tastes to mine. But, given the theme of this blog and its interesting lyrics, I figured it might be fun to share this calming song with you. Simply press the play button below and make sure the volume on your computer is on.

If you are curious, here are the lyrics:

“Be Still My Beating Heart”

Be still my beating heart
It would be better to be cool
It’s not time to be open just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget
Be still my beating heart
Or I’ll be taken for a fool
It’s not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I’ve been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so

I sink like a stone that’s been thrown in the ocean
My logic has drowned in a sea of emotion
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart

Restore my broken dreams
Shattered like a falling glass
I’m not ready to be broken just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget

Be still my beating heart
You must learn to stand your ground
It’s not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I’ve been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so

Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart

Never to be wrong
Never to make promises that break
It’s like singing in the wind
Or writing on the surface of a lake
And I wriggle like a fish caught on dry land
And I struggle to avoid any help at hand

I sink like a stone that’s been thrown in the ocean
My logic has drowned in a sea of emotion
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart

Have a great 4th of July weekend!

Keep on tickin!

As strange as this sounds… In today’s edition of The Chicago Tribune I find myself on the cover of an educational magazine titled “Cardiovascular Care”.

So you know, when I started this project, I never imagined it would turn into anything. I simply wanted to help one patient. Now, four years later, I am happy to report that we (emphasis on we) have helped thousands of patients and caregivers through heart valve surgery.

While I’m in this magazine, the true recognition belongs to you – the patients and caregivers of this special community. Thanks for all of your continued support. Together, we (again, emphasis on we) are making a difference. That difference is evident in the rapid expansion of this blog, the Heart Valve Surgeon Database, Heart Valve Journals and our recent charitable donation. Your caring support continues to touch, move and inspire the world.

I would also like to thank Cullan Shane Stefanik, the publisher at Media Planet, who coordinated this comprehensive effort to educate the Chicago-land people about cardiac care. Finally, thanks to The Chicago Tribune for running this awareness campaign about heart disease.

Luckily, I was granted the right to share this magazine with all visitors to my website. That said, if you would like to download and read this magazine, simply click the button below.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Keep on tickin!