Lend Me A Kiss - A collection of short poems reflecting the Love Pain and Spirituality of a Pediatric Heart Surgeon - Hardcover

Christopher J Knott-Craig MD FACS

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1936782367 ISBN 13: 9781936782369

Publisher: Langdon Street Press (a division of Hillcrest Publishing Group, Inc.), 2011

Synopsis

Cardiothoracic surgeon Christopher Knott-Craig is known internationally for his groundbreaking achievements in the repair of newborns' hearts.

In Lend Me a Kiss, a collection of 128 poems, he demonstrates his deft skill at crafting words that convey strong sentiment and emotions that are not typically associated with physicians. Eschewing any cloak of indifference, this medical doctor exposes his flaws, longings, and dreams, his search for God, and his passion for helping the vulnerable and underprivileged. Each poem in Lend Me a Kiss is a lyrical and intimate glimpse into the heart of one who has literally held tiny infant hearts in the palm of his hand. The doctor who has been called the ''baby whisperer'' shares miraculous life-and-death moments and everyday occurrences, memories and reminiscences, testaments of love and romance, faith, heartbreak, loneliness, and loss -- moments that reflect poignant and familiar human sentiments and situations.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

“Chris Knott-Craig, pediatric heart surgeon, has laid bare his heart and soul in this intense and vivid anthology. Knott-Craig's literary skills and sensitivity have been deftly woven together to give us profound insights into the emotional highs and lows of his challenging profession.”— Richard Jonas MD President of American Association of Thoracic Surgery

About the Author:

Christopher Knott-Craig was born in rural South Africa in 1953. By age seventeen, he regularly helped his father as a sports correspondent for national Sunday newspapers Cape Argus and Die Beeld. In 1973, his first poem was published in the University of Cape Town Christian Pamphlet. He became a physician in 1977, and in 1986 was board certified with a Master's degree (summa cum laude) in cardiothoracic surgery, launching an internationally recognized career in pediatric cardiac surgery.

In 2004 Christian News Journal published his essay on ''Miracles in Medicine.'' Compassionate pro bono cardiac care for underprivileged children in Africa earned him private audiences with Pope John Paul II and President Nelson Mandela. In 1994, Knott-Craig made international news by performing the first successful repair of Ebstein's anomaly in a newborn baby, a hitherto fatal congenital heart condition. This procedure was done in Children's Hospital of Oklahoma while Knott-Craig was professor of Surgery at Oklahoma University. A self-proclaimed rebel of the status quo, Knott-Craig introduced, in 2008, ''Every day should be Valentine's Day,'' a novel family-orientated approach to pain-free cardiac care for babies with heart disease at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where he is chief of Cardiac Surgery, co-director of The Heart Institute, and professor of surgery at the University of Tennessee.

His personal life ethic ''The body is servant to the mind'' is evidenced by his running sixteen marathons, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (29,340 feet), and conquering his fear of heights with sky-diving. Other activities of interest include writing essays and poetry (in both English and Afrikaans), painting, and giving inspirational lectures. Knott-Craig lives in Memphis with longtime friend, Connie, and their daughter, Cate. Their Persian cats, Caesar, Oliver, and Ginger, have all passed as a result of cancer.

About this edition

• Publisher: Langdon Street Press (a division of Hillcrest Publishing Group, Inc.)
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1936782367
• ISBN 13: 9781936782369
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 156