Lifelines

About the Book

For the benefit of anyone fearing the onset of a heart attack, living through the trauma of its effects, or being close to one who has, we hope this account of a man who, at a very young age, had multiple heart attacks, triple bypass surgery and, much later, a heart transplant will provide strength, courage, and insight.  To fellow patients, this book is meant to reassure them that someone has traveled this road before, and the scars from that travel will heal just as the scars on my body are healing.  To the caregivers, we offer understanding and insight for the overwhelmingly important role they play and the support and care they need for themselves.  To the physicians and hospital personnel, I hope they will better understand that technology without concern is meaningless, but technology applied with compassion heals!

The first chapter describes Lifelines, those connections we have with each other which keep us alive, healthy, and in touch with ourselves and our environment.  They are emotional, physical, and spiritual, and surround and encompass each of us.  We do not have a single lifeline, but many lines coming from many directions and dimensions.  They form a web, an interconnecting weave, upon which we are supported.  We need only feel them and accept them - the choice is ours.

In the second chapter, The Game, I have presented society's apparent expectations for a successful life regarding goal-orientation.  I am sure many others have been taught, as I was, to live by these directives.  They are, however, responsible in great part for the physical problems to be described.  Only after facing death, did I start on the road to changing my approach to life; a process which has taken many years and will continue to be a conscious effort for the rest of my life.

Chapter three, The Secret, describes the road to personal success and fulfillment.  I also emphasize that loving interrelationships are the basis for a lifetime of success.

Chapter four, The Onset, chronicles my four heart attacks, the first occurring when I was 27 years old.  I discuss how hospitalization and the treatment of cardiac patients changed during those six years, from the late 1960's to early 1970's.

An Affair of the Heart, the next chapter, is a story written by Ruth-Eleanor, my wife, several years after my first heart attack.  It was originally intended for submission to a women's magazine but was never published.  Beyond relating a very unusual event, the story describes the feelings of a young wife who is suddenly faced with the real possibility of becoming a widow.

The next chapter, Ruth-Eleanor’s Story, details a series of events which one may attribute to luck, coincidence, God: I believe the latter.  They occurred at the time of my fourth heart attack, when it eventually became evident I was in worse condition than previously anticipated.  Although bypass surgery was still considered somewhat experimental, we opted to proceed.  It was then I believed I would have a future.

The seventh chapter contains actual passages from my Diary Entries in 1972.  This was a particularly trying time, immediately preceding and following the bypass operation.  The excerpts show the direction of my mind - my fears, my hopes, my new life as I saw it could be.

About the Author

Dr. Jensh received his B.A. and M.A. from Bucknell University and his Ph.D. from Jefferson Medical College. He is currently Professor of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cellular Biology and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA. He has served as a consultant for numerous corporations, has been a reviewer for many scientific journals, and a scientific advisor to the National Institutes of Health. He is a member of many scientific societies and has received numerous education and research awards. Dr. Jensh's area of research involves the prevention of birth defects. He has lectured at colleges and universities as well as scientific meetings and symposia in the United States and Europe, and has been honored for distinguished teaching. He has published over 120 papers, book chapters, and abstracts. Dr. Jensh lives with his wife, Ruth-Eleanor, and their daughters, Victoria and Elizabeth, in Haddonfield, New Jersey.