Reader's Digest magazine influenced my life - twice.

In 1977, with a story about a living God. A heart surgeon named Denton A.Cooley. He was glamorous, a pioneer and entrepreneur. Operated on princes, presidents and prime ministers. In all, over 75,000 operations. Founded the world-famous Texas Heart Institute in Houston.

I wanted to be like him.

A 1989 issue I read during my medical internship featured a neurosurgeon named Tom Peters. One sentence in his interview remains burned into my mind:

"I don't accept children dying."

This time, I didn't just *want* to be like him. I LIVED LIKE HIM. I too won't accept a child dying. I made myself a promise. Anything... ANYTHING that is within my power to prevent it happening, I will do.
....
Many forms of heart birth defects make survival impossible. Unless they're repaired. That's one reason I became a pediatric heart surgeon. Apart from the challenge, the technical, intellectual and emotional puzzles the speciality poses its practitioners. The latter, sadly, creates robots. Unemotional automatons
that get caught up in their craft, forgetting or ignoring the human element. The stress, pain, trauma, helplessness associated with the problem.

Heart birth defects have a unique social dimension. Young families, just starting out on their careers and settling down, with little if any financial cushion, suddenly are confronted with a daunting choice...Raise the money - often paralyzingly huge sums - or watch your child suffer... or worse. Most of my work online aims to tackle this facet of the complex problem. I can - and do - handle the medical and emotional elements. But alone, I can't help with the financial ones.

And thanks to the heartwarming generous outpouring from a group of amazing folks, at least 3 children will live. Without you, they may not have. YOU have made a difference. YOU are special. I'm honored to consider you my friend!

Thank you -- from my heart!

--Dr. Mani Sivasubramanian