Tilda Shalof had been taking care of critically ill patients in an
intensive care unit for more than twenty-five years, but taking care of
herself had never been a priority. That is, until she could no longer
ignore her extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and crushing chest
pains. When the results came in, it was time to face the music: Tilda
required immediate open-heart surgery to replace a defective valve and
to repair damage done to this vital organ.
Tilda's story takes readers from the diagnosis through all her fears and
concerns, the or, her stay in the icu, the cardiac ward, recovery at
home, rehabilitation, and ultimately, her return to work in the hospital
armed with new insights on the patient's perspective. She learned more
in her week-long stay as a patient than in all her years caring for the
critically ill, especially about trust and working in partnership with
her caregivers.
In Opening My Heart, Shalof expertly weaves recollections from her
career and accounts of other nurses' experiences into her own story,
creating the perfect marriage between fascinating clinical detail and a
personal journey of healing. Throughout it all is Shalof's warm,
friendly voice and humorous outlook. Nurses everywhere and anyone who's
ever been a hospital patient, or who is currently hospitalized or who
might be one day (and those who love them!), will be empowered,
enlightened, comforted, and entertained by this book.
