A young man's struggle to come to terms with the deteriorating valve in his heart.

The bestselling author of Intern and Doctored tells the story of the thing that makes us tick For centuries, the human heart seemed beyond our understanding: an inscrutable shuddering mass that was somehow the driver of emotion and the seat of the soul. As the cardiologist and bestselling author Sandeep Jauhar shows in Heart: A History, it was only recently that we demolished age-old taboos and devised the transformative procedures that have changed the way we live. Deftly alternating between key historical episodes and his own work, Jauhar tells the colorful and little-known story of the doctors who risked their careers and the patients who risked their lives to know and heal our most vital organ. He introduces us to Daniel Hale Williams, the African American doctor who performed the world’s first open heart surgery in Gilded Age Chicago. We meet C. Walton Lillehei, who connected a patient’s circulatory system to a healthy donor’s, paving the way for the heart-lung machine. And we encounter Wilson Greatbatch, who saved millions by inventing the pacemaker—by accident. Jauhar deftly braids these tales of discovery, hubris, and sorrow with moving accounts of his family’s history of heart ailments and the patients he’s treated over many years. He also confronts the limits of medical technology, arguing that future progress will depend more on how we choose to live than on the devices we invent. Affecting, engaging, and beautifully written, Heart: A History takes the full measure of the only organ that can move itself.

Something's up with Chester Thibidoux. ​He's always been the quiet member of The Zipper Club, but as a new summer at Camp Bravehearts begins, the gang has noticed him being a little quieter than usual. At every opportunity for fun, Chester just seems to stare off into the distance. The divorce of his parents back home and the absence of an old camp friend haven't helped his sour puss demeanor, but all is not lost with The Zipper Club on the case. Here, here, Zipsketeers!​From the pages of Grayhaven Comics' THE GATHERING comes the first collection of THE ZIPPER CLUB!

Are you or someone you know having open heart surgery? Getting Cracked is a humorous and informative story about preparing for an open heart surgical procedure. While many people have questions about how to prepare for open heart surgery, very few surgeons have had the surgery themselves to explain what really happens to a patient's body during and after surgery. This story is told through the author's eyes. The author not only works in surgery administering anesthesia for a living, but actually had an open heart surgery himself. This book walks patients and families through preparation, the surgical procedure, and what to expect when you get home from the hospital. The author describes in laymen terms the details of what will happen to the patient's body in an easy-to-read format and funny tone. If you are looking for a book to help you understand how to prepare for surgery, the surgical process itself, or just find a way to feel more comfortable with the ordeal a family member is embarking upon, this book is for you.

Angioplasty at fifty-six, open-heart surgery at sixty-one, running his first half marathon less than a year later. This is the remarkable and inspiring story of Dr. Akil Taher, who transformed from a middle-aged couch potato with a dangerously bad diet into a vital, energetic athlete, ever seeking new challenges and adventures. In this book, Dr. Taher relates the journey of his transformation-how even as a physician who knew better, he led an unhealthy lifestyle; how he ignored the warnings of his heart disease and other chronic ailments; and how after his bypass surgery, he set out to radically change his life to heal his body and his spirit. Training for and competing in his first half marathon was only the start. In compelling detail, he recounts his running in the Chicago, Boston, and Mumbai Marathons; his pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro; his first triathlon and 100-mile bike race. More importantly, Dr. Taher also discusses the enormous role diet plays in preventing as well as recovering from heart disease as well as other chronic illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and kidney disease. Citing reputable sources and using his own diet and health as examples, he guides the reader away from a diet heavy in meat, dairy, eggs, and sugar and proposes healthier eating-and living-that is grounded in a whole-food, plant-based diet. Open Heart is an essential read for anyone eager to change unhealthy lifestyle choices and embrace the excitement of a vibrant new life.

"A surgical nurse with over 20 years of operating room experience guides you through your open heart surgery. Understand each step of the process, from your diagnosis, tests, surgery, and recovery -- to what you can expect the day you finally return home. Learn about all the healthcare providers you will encounter. What are their roles? What are their expectations of you? Who is the best?"--Back cover.

Each year, over 250,000 heart valve repair and heart valve replacement operations are performed for conditions including stenosis, prolapse, insufficiency, aneurysm, Tetralogy of Fallot and regurgitation. However, most patients and caregivers surveyed felt their expectations were mismanaged - both before and after surgery. The Patient's Guide to Heart Valve Surgery was written by Adam Pick, a double heart valve surgery patient, to address this troubling issue and prepare the patient and caregiver for the challenges and opportunities of valve surgery - from diagnosis through recovery.