Brian Lima - Heart to Beat: A Cardiac Surgeons Inspiring Story of Success and Overcoming Adversity—The Heart Way

Dr. Brian Lima is an author, a husband, and a surgeon who built a reputation as a renowned cardiac surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC) in Dallas, Texas. He was recruited to North Shore University Hospital (Northwell Health) in 2017 to lead the first and only heart-transplant program on Long Island, and he was appointed Associate Professor of Surgery. Dr. Lima was previously the Surgical Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support at BUMC, where he also served as Director of Clinical Research in Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support. Dr. Lima was one of the primary cardiac-transplant surgeons at BUMC and was instrumental in building one of the busiest heart-transplant centers in the countryincluding the nations lowest waiting list times.

Dr. Lima is a recognized authority on surgical therapies for advanced heart failure, having published nearly eighty articles in peer-reviewed journals and numerous book chapters; he has also presented at several national and international conferences. In addition to heart transplantation, Dr. Limas expertise encompasses the entire spectrum of adult cardiac surgery and the surgical management of heart failure with mechanical-support devices.

Originally from Kearny, New Jersey, Dr. Lima attended Cornell University for his undergraduate studies as a Cornell National Scholar, graduating magna cum laude in Chemistry. Dr. Lima attended medical school at Duke University School of Medicine, receiving a Deans Full Tuition Scholarship and graduating with Alpha Omega Alpha distinction. During medical school, Dr. Lima was a recipient of the prestigious Stanley J. Sarnoff Research Fellowship Award in cardiovascular sciences, which funded a year of investigation at the Transplantation Biology Research Center of the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Following his general-surgery residency training at Duke University Medical Center, Dr. Lima completed his formal heart-surgery training at the Cleveland Clinic, where he received the Dr. Charles H. Bryan Annual Clinical Excellence Award in Cardiovascular Surgery.

What is stronger than the human heart which shatters over and over and still lives? R UPI K AUR

Weve all been therewhether at home, growing up, or in grade school, getting scolded for bad behavior and being accused of preferring to learn things the hard way. The hard way, in this context, of course, refers to learning through trial and error and unpleasant experiences seared into our memories, like the one time I decided to pick up a stray cat by its tail so I could pet it. It seemed like an awesome idea at the time. I was seven years old, and, despite my mothers repeated warnings, I boldly embarked on this ill-fated mission, only to be met by all the vicious fury this ferocious little feline could muster. Innumerable leg lacerations and claw marks later, I learned the hard way that any attempt at tugging on a kittys tail is dangerous business and should be avoided altogether.

As Shakespeare famously wrote in The Tempest , The past is prologue. Avoiding the mistakes of the past is a vital adaptation for future advancement. I guess that, in a perfect world, all of the amassed life lessons would be neatly catalogued and readily accessible so we could consciously avoid the hard way and live happily ever after. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but the reality is that we live in an imperfect world, full of well-meaning people but also plagued with egos, biases, corruption, and social injustices. To navigate and thrive in this hostile environment, theres no getting around having to get your hands dirty. After all, you cant climb up the ladder of success with your hands in your pocket. (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

So, like it or not, life is a contact sport, and you really have to be all in it to win it. If youre not in it to win it, theres always plenty of room at the kids table. This realization begs the question: how do we prepare for or cope with the inevitable failures and disappointments that come along the way? Ive pondered this nagging question so many times throughout the years, frustrated by the lack of solutions the world had to offer. Until recently, my best answer(s) could be summed up with a colorful flurry of sports analogies and inspirational quotes, such as those from the iconic figures that Ive included throughout this book. Take for instance, the elite NFL quarterback Tom Brady, arguably the best the game has ever seen. Having honed his capacity for selective amnesia, he can effortlessly forget he threw those four interceptions in the first half. By not dwelling on these flagrant mistakes, he can move forward, stay laser-focused, and still pull out the win for his team. Likewise, the world-class boxer in a championship bout has that refuse-to-lose mentality. He may get beaten or knocked out, but hell go out swinging, never giving up, and protecting himself at all times (or trying to, at least).

While these are certainly worthwhile strategies and individuals to emulate, we may not necessarily have to look outward for sources of inspiration. What if I told you that the superhero alter ego youve been yearning to invoke has been right under your nose this whole time? I was struck by this epiphany during one of the heart-transplant procedures I performed last year. Immediately after I removed the recipients old heart, it spontaneously continued to beat a few more times, as I held it in my hands, as if it wasnt quite ready to relinquish its important job just yet. Coincidentally, this also happened to be the very first heart transplant ever performed on Long Island, a huge milestone for the region and the proudest moment of my surgical career! So, given this momentous occasion, the procedure was being filmed, and, thankfully, this magical moment was captured on video to be shared with the world! (For access to the actual video footage, please visit https://youtu.be/HqY7NWorrpI) Not to be outdone, after I feverishly sewed in the new heart, it instinctively began beating right away, hours after being removed from the donor and transported to our hospital!

Just wow! It gets me every time, and its why I do what I do. But something finally dawned on me, after so many years of soul searching, introspection, and chasing my dreams. It turns out that the ultimate, most relentless, inspirational force lies within us, beating in our chest, sustaining our very lifeour heart! The veritable Energizer bunny that is the human heart has Herculean physiologic prowess unmatched by any professional athlete or by any mere mortal, for that matter. You couldnt possibly ask for a better ride-or-die companion! Whether youre awake or asleep, happy or sad, nervous or afraid, your heart just keeps chugging along, beating about 100,000 times every day and roughly 2.5 billion times during your lifetime! Every minute, this little fist-sized muscle pumps 1.5 gallons of blood through a mind-boggling 60,000 miles of blood vessels. And, during pregnancy, the heart ups the ante even further, by doubling its pumping capability, to ensure that the developing fetus is getting enough blood flow.

Truth be told, as someone whos devoted much of my adult life to mastering the art of cardiac surgery and to taking care of the sickest of the sick heart patients, Im clearly partial to the mystical wonder of the human heart. But, that aside, can you really blame me? I mean, seriously, no offense to my colleagues in other medical specialties, but whens the last time you heard anyone say, I love you with all of my kidneys?! Throughout human history, the heart has unquestionably garnered the most attention, as the most romanticized, idolized, and inspirational part of our body. Needless to say, the heart has all of the other organs beat (see what I did there?) by a mile. The allure of the heart simply cannot be denied.