Your Heart, My Hands: An Immigrant's Remarkable Journey to Become One of America's Preeminent Cardiac Surgeons

by Arun K Singh MD, John Hanc (With), Delos Cosgrove MD (Foreword by)

Overview

An encouraging, inspiring, and "absorbing" (Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize winner) true story of how a boy from India overcame a difficult childhood and devastating hand injuries and became one of the most prolific cardiac surgeons in U.S. history.

An encouraging and inspiring true story on how a boy from India overcame a difficult childhood and devastating hand injuries and became one of the most prolific cardiac surgeons in U.S. history.

Leaving a life marked by crippling setbacks and his father's doubt, in 1967 a twenty-something doctor from India arrived in America with only five dollars and the desire to claim his American dream. The journey still awaiting Dr. Arun K. Singh would be unparalleled. Faced with an entirely new culture, racism, and the lasting effects of disabling childhood injuries, through hard work and perseverance he overcame all odds. Now having performed over 15,000 open heart surgeries, more than nearly every surgeon in history, Dr. Singh reflects on his most memorable patients and his incredible personal life. Shared for the first time, these intimate and uplifting accounts, along with photos, will have you cheering for the underdog and appreciating the enduring determination of the human spirit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781546082989
Publisher:	Center Street
Publication date:	04/16/2019
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Arun Singh, M.D., preeminent cardiac surgeon, has personally performed over 15,000 heart surgeries. Dr. Singh has earned numerous awards as a physician including the American Heart Association's Hero at Heart Award and the Milton Hamolsky Outstanding Physician Award. In practice at Rhode Island Hospital since 1975, Dr. Singh has been voted "Top Doc" by Rhode Island Monthly Magazine for the last sixteen years. He was also elected to the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, only the second person of Indian descent to receive this distinction. He lives in Providence, RI.

Delos Cosgrove, M.D., is a renowned cardiac surgeon and President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic, one of the nation's largest and most prestigious medical centers. An advisor to President Obama on veteran's affairs, he was recently appointed to President Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, which offers non-partisan advice on job growth.

John Hanc is the author or coauthor of seventeen books, including the award-winning memoirs Not Dead Yet (Thomas Dunne), co-authored with cyclist Phil Southerland, and The Coolest Race on Earth (Chicago Review Press), an account of Hanc's participation in the Antartica Marathon. He is also the coauthor of Fighting for My Life (Thomas Nelson, 2019) with Jamie Tyrone and Marwan Sabbagh. A longtime journalist, Hanc is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and Newsday, and his work has appeared in such publications as Smithsonian, the Boston Globe, Runner's World, and the Columbia Journalism Review.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction xiii

1 If Only They Knew 1

2 Problem Child 4

3 Progressive Resistance 13

4 Heartless, Beautiful Sport 19

5 My Own World, My Own Rules 29

6 All In 36

7 Life Out of Control 52

8 "Dr. Singh" 61

9 Betrayal in the Family 73

10 From Pipe Dream to Possibility 82

11 Immigrant's Journey 95

12 Cheap Labor 105

13 The Greatest City in the World 114

14 What Racism Looks Like 126

15 New Family, New Friends, New World 130

16 I Want to Heal Hearts 134

7 A Providential Decision 140

8 London Calling 151

19 Redemption in Little Rhody 164

20 "The Best in Heart Care…" 185

21 Survival at a Horrible Cost 191

22 Please Make My Heart Better 201

23 Your Heart, My Hands 220

24 Final Cut 245

Epilogue 256

Acknowledgments 259

About the Authors 261

Editorial Reviews

"An absorbing account of a man who arrived in America with five dollars in his pocket and went on to save tens of thousands of lives. Singh's journey from rural India to the operating room is unconventional and affecting."—Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author of In Other Words and The Namesake

"Dr. Singh is living proof that hard work, persistence, and grit can overcome the most discouraging obstacles. His stories are engaging. His views on life and the future of health care deserve our attention. Your Heart, My Hands will be an inspiration to all who read it."—Delos Cosgrove, MD, CEO and President of the Cleveland Clinic

"In his wonderfully written memoir, [Dr. Singh] will touch your heart with his incredible life story of beating down multifold personal obstacles to help tens of thousands of patients with his unyielding determination, devotion, and dedication."—Dr. Rudolph Tanzi, New York Times bestselling author of The Healing Self and Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School

"This gripping read chronicles the fascinating life and patient encounters of Arun Singh, MD. His mission was to be the very best in care and he succeeded against all odds."—David O. Williams, MD, Senior Cardiologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

From the Publisher