movies 03 Jun 2006 10:30 pm
Something The Lord Made
I watched this tonight, intentionally choosing a time when I’d be alone. I knew going into it that it was going to touch my deepest nerves. It’s the story of the two men who developed and performed the first heart surgery. More specifically, the surgery was the proceedure that makes it possible for doctors to restructure a child’s heart so that blood flow is propery oxegenated. Meaning blue babies become pink. And more specifcally still, it is the operation that was the predessor to the Norwood Procedure, the sugery our daughter Clara had. If she had lived to her third year, she would have gone from blue to pink.
This is an amazing film, powerful and beautifully written. Surprisingly, while the pioneering heart surgery is a major part of the story, it is only half. Interwoven throughout is the social changes of half a century. One of these doctors is white and it is his name that history primarily knew. The other is black and without him there would have been no surgery. He developed the clamps, the technique, did the research, and provided much more than just support. He was an integral, yet mostly invisible, element.
It wasn’t too gory or gross and it didn’t focus on the difficult aftermath of heart surgery. Then again, those are words from someone who has seen much more than the average person so ymmv.
On the superficial level, it’s got Alan Rickman. Absolutely irresistable in just about any role he takes. The rest of the cast is superb as well, the details are tended to, and it’s just really a quality film. I vaguely remember it coming up at Oscar time; I’d have to go do some digging to see exactly why but it should have won something ;-).
I’m so grateful for this true story. Even though my own child didn’t make it past 9 weeks, even though we never made it to all those churches to tell a happy testimony, even though that world is lost to me now, I’m grateful that when they called us into that panelled room that there were more than 2 options. We had hope and a place to go and there were people who’d devoted their lives to saving others’. Cardiac surgeons are notoriously optimistic and driven to keep trying; they will always fight for your child’s life until the last breath.
We grieve differently, David and I. He doesn’t like to watch things like this, go back there, focus on the hospital so much. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that he went home while she was there, went back to work and wasn’t there the night she died. I lived and breathed it much more; it was our only reality…the halls, the smells, the sounds, the faces. Sometimes it felt like such utter madness and still I clung to it because it was all I had of that little girl. I tried to embrace it and accept it and not waste any time with stupid questions.
But after all the emotion is dug around, there is a fascination and a gratitude underneath. When I drive past a children’s hospital I’m deeply aware of the secret life pulsing within. It’s a whole ‘nother world in there, a forgotten place where there is no margin. This movie contrasted an accaimed doctor with an invisible one but I think there is a greater point to be realized. Every moment of every day there are real battles being fought. They are within walls that block our view and in a way, all the players are invisible.
And maybe one day you take a breath and your whole life changes within a few seconds. Maybe all it takes is one little sentence…..”we definately only see two chambers in your daughter’s heart.” And life will never be the same. And you’ll meet people fighting wars you never thought of before. And you’ll find gratitude that overflows.
