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Perseverance and the Perfusionist
“Success is not final , failure is not fatal : It is the courage to
continue that counts” – Sir Winston Churchill.
The Pandemic has been a great leveler. It has shown that inspite of our advances in
science, technology, medicine and even our efforts to control as well as modify the
environment to suit our style of living, all it takes is a miniscule strand of nucleic acid
protected by a fragile protein coat to wreak havoc within our system, leaving us literally
gasping for breath!
While the world continues to exhibit a wide range of feelings – despair upon the
rising number of cases, fear upon the number of variant versions of the virus, grief for the
loss of lives and doubt over the efficacy of the vaccines that are available, one quality
exhibited by many of us, stands out as a beacon of a better tomorrow – PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance is the one factor that can turn failure into success, defeat into victory.
Along with a strong will to succeed, perseverance indeed can work wonders. There are
many examples of luminaries who have risen from obscurity in to the limelight, etching their
names in the history of mankind. All of that has been possible only because of their belief to
succeed and of course persevering towards their desired outcome.
The science of extracorporeal circulation is also filled with stories of perseverance.
From John H Gibbon Jr, to Robert Bartlett , it has been perseverance that has helped evolve
this precious life saving technique described as equal in stature to Man’s Landing on the
Moon, to the standards that are inscribed today and which will certainly continue to evolve
in the times to come.
The Pandemic is doing its bit to bring out the spirit of perseverance in our fraternity
as well. We are forced to work longer durations, wearing protective equipment that literally
knocks the wind out of our sails, innovate use of inventories and techniques to tend to the
increased number of patients requiring our services, spend time away from our loved ones
for fear of unwittingly transmitting the virus to them and continuous interaction with our
peers around the world for updating our knowledge as well as practice.
So, on International Perfusion Week, I sincerely exhort my fellow fraternity members
to continue upholding the spirit of perseverance as it surely will bring in success and a
better, brighter, happier and prosperous future for one and all. God Bless. Stay Safe. Keep
Charging!!
“The only easy day was yesterday” – US NAVY SEALS
Mr. Pradeepkumar Pillai