For anyone who had a childhood passion (medical or otherwise), take a few minutes to read a terrific narrative piece in the current issue of Stanford Medicine magazine.
The story begins in the archives right here at the School of Medicine's communication office and describes a true tale of an 11-year-old boy who, inspired to begin practicing medicine, wrote to heart-transplant pioneer Norman Shumway, MD, for surgical advice. Intern Jerome Macalma was scanning documents when he came across the handwritten note, and he used Facebook to solve the modern-day mystery of the letter-writer's identity.
It turns out that once-aspiring doctor Robert Wise had become a real one. In the piece, Wise, MD, fleshes out details of the letter's story and his journey to become an emergency medicine physician with a clinical interest in cardiovascular emergencies. I'll save the rest for you.
Happy reading!
Previously: Mysteries of the heart: Stanford Medicine magazine answers cardiovascular questions, Middle school students get brainy and Doc McStuffins: A pint-sized inspiration for girls of all colors
Related: Norman Shumway, heart transplantation pioneer, dies at 83
