Today, somewhere in the world, a person will be
shot or stabbed through the largest blood vessel in
their body, their aorta, a once routinely fatal injury,
and after appropriate triage, have a procedure once
thought cra-cra, having a high chance of surviving
and maybe even walking out the hospital the very
next day.
Around the time that punk saved me, this injury
always required a major ‘open surgery,’ sometimes
months in the hospital, including a long ICU stay and
years of recovery. With PUNK attitude and the
indomitable drive it gave me, alongside a small group
of ‘crazy ass cowboys,’ we went on to change the
world of vascular and trauma surgery. Flashback to
about thirty-five years ago…

Artwork Credit: Sam Lopez