Cracked Open!

Book SummaryYou’re a young adult in the prime of your life - enjoying a career, family, friends, and hobbies. All of a sudden, you find yourself faced with the prospect of having open-heart surgery. According to many emergency room and cardiology professionals, cardiovascular disease among young adults is on the rise and in many cases, requires surgical intervention. Cracked Open! is a patient-written book addressing the concerns of young adults regarding preparation for surgery, proper healing, the emotional and physical toll of open-heart surgery, and more. Easy to read, this book is designed to assist the reader from the time of diagnosis through the healing months after surgery. Cracked Open! can be read from beginning to end or simple reading sections of particular interest. About the AuthorMichael Cook was born in San Jose, California in 1974. At the age of 21, Michael was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and was treated at the University of California, San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center – now called University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. In September 2010, Michael underwent emergency quintuple coronary artery bypass graft surgery to repair arteries damaged during previous cancer treatments. Michael was married in 2011 and now resides in Maryland with his wife Patricia. Michael’s hope is that Cracked Open! will offer help to other young adults facing open-heart surgery.