Hans Wallsten and the Invention of the Stent

It happened so fast, it felt like Mike Tyson was jamming a solid right directly into my chest. My arms were loaded with beach gear as we trudged thru the sand to the car, it was our first visit to the beach for the 2010 trip. The trip was our annual vacation to Lewes, Delaware to spend some precious time with my parents. Lewes is wedged  between the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean, the quiet town has been a perfect place for my parents to enjoy their retirement and an equally fantastic place to visit with my wife and kids..This year would be a special trip.

Back to the Tyson right, it felt like it was going through my chest, it was so scary and the pressure was so tremendous that as I tried to hide behind the car and not alarm the family my head began to fill with terrifying thoughts. It was happening too fast...is this really happening!! Five minutes before I was swimming with my kids in the ocean, an hour ago I was eating a ham sandwich with sand in it, what the hell is going on here?

The dream continued in the hospital...this has to be a dream. It wasn't a dream and I was in there for three days. The three days were probably more brutal for my wife as she tried to remain calm with the kids and pass the time with my worried parents, hundreds of miles from her family, friends and support. Facebook took on new meaning! The lack of coffee/caffeine mixed with the nitroglycerin patch which they slapped on my sun burned chest had my head split open and melting. I've had more than a few crippling hangovers in my time, this headache provided a terrific reminder for why I stay away from the drink.The night before we were to find out how serious this situation was seemed to be the low point. The doctor said if there's some blockage you'll need a few stents or "if it's a mess we'll have to do surgery, now try to get some sleep."

I don't have enough space here to discuss that night. I'm a rookie writer but my hope is to put it in a book some day...it was a powerful night in a few ways. One of the main things I'll never forget was what at first seemed like a feeling of regret. It wasn't regret though, a solid 4th and 5th step years ago with my sponsor had set me free from those insidious regrets. It was simply a feeling of what I HAD NOT done yet, my heart was drowning as my head was flooding with all the missed possibilities of what I had not shown and taught my kids..it was a long and terrifying night...a different type of terrifying..a different level of powerlessness. For the second time in my life, I was again finding that when I'm at my weakest is when I'm closest to my Creator.

So I'll wrap it up with this, one of the main arteries going to my heart was more than 99% blocked. They call it the widow maker. I received one stent and was told a couple hundred times how lucky I am. I appreciated that but wasn't comprehending lucky at the time. And a few days later we were heading back to Cincinnati, I was still wondering if it was a dream.

Some say that the first medical stents were invented by Hans Wallsten, a Swedish engineer, and were originally called Wallstents, this later being shortened to stents. Thank you Hans! His family lineage may have included Vikings, I don't know, but I would buy that man the finest Swedish beer and toast to his wonderful name...God love em. The first heart stent was invented in 1969 by Charles Theodore Dotter (thank you kindly Chuck), experimenting on the peripheral arteries of a dog...a dog! It was not until 1986 that the first human coronary heart stent implantation was performed, by Jacques Puel in France...a Frenchman?? thank Jacques!

For many of us we don't take the diet and exercise advice too seriously until a diagnoses gives us the incentive and motivation. It was hard to swallow the whole thing...me?..."but you don't look heavy?" It was a scary situation followed by a creepy depression that lingered for about 6 months. I tried to write more than a dozen times and the desire just wasn't there, the task seemed too big and my thoughts weren't clear. Two things forced me to get up and keep moving. I began my cardiac rehab with a new group of friends, I was definitely the youngest on the team. In the inquisitive and curious mind of our beagle puppy (Rufus) there was no such thing as depression. His life was all about pooping, eating the house, big naps and playing with the family. He had no time for me wanting to lay around in any kind of depression, this simply didn't fit with his joyful plans for the day. Along with his enthusiasm for life there was a new lacrosse season starting, a patient and loving wife supporting me and awesome friends who inspire me and make me laugh, I started feeling like Jorge again.

I'm back! I'm doing what I need to do to take care of myself. I'm back to share my passion with The 8 Dynamic Shifts, the Distinct Genius Program, A Real Conversation, launch a new website, discuss the problems that plague small businesses and finally to share kick ass stories from people who show courage in the face of adversity and are willing to share their passion and inspiration with others. For those who know me well I appreciate your patience with me, I talk fast and I go on serious rants, you guys listen to my rants...as they go on and on. I'll try to funnel my rants into the blog, give your ears a little break...I did want to say how much I appreciate every one of you. Thank you Lisa, thank you to my friends who make me laugh my ass off (the belly laugh laugh), to my coach Sancho (I am listening!),  and my friends at lacrosse who I coach and play with, looking forward to getting back out there with the TP Bulldogs. When I spend time with you I'm not only enjoying the moment but I'm also soaking up and observing your distinct genius...you guys fuel my passion and belief in the DG program...you are amazing people...

'Good to see you, good to see your face again' - Neil Young

George