Saturday, April 21, 2007

Living (Not Dying) With Heart Failure

I’m on call this weekend. Too much to do and too little time.

But I thought I’d share this video with you. The story that accompanies the video speaks to the human condition, and since I manage lots of folks with heart failure, I thought this might inspire others:
This is from a documentary shown on Channel 4 in the UK called 'Young@Heart'; the name of the New England octogenarian chorus line. The performer here is Fred Knittle, who suffers from congestive heart failure. This song was intended to be a duet between Fred and another chorus member, Bob Salvini. Sadly, Bob died of a heart attack and it was left to Fred to carry the song on his own. If I'm correct, the people you see crying at 01:13 are Bob's family. The lady you occasionally see mouthing the lyrics in the audience is Fred's wife.
Although moving, the real story is what he's chosen to do with his disability. And yes, the man has a set of pipes, even on oxygen!



Enjoy!

-Wes

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