Erika’s heart transplant in NYC was witnessed by Charlie Morris, a Manhattan based writer. Mr. Morris was shadowing the surgeon who performed Erika’s transplant on the day Erika’s donor heart became available. The story of Erika’s journey and transplant operation is told in a chapter of his new book, ‘The Surgeons: Life and Death in a Top Heart Center’.
Mr. Morris’ telling of Erika’s story begins this way:
“I saw Erika Maynard only once. She was a heart-breakingly beautiful little girl of four, hugging a stuffed animal and in tears because her mother, Traci, had just stepped back from Erika’s gurney so the nurses could take her into the OR to receive a new heart. I was there to observe the transplant, and as the OR’s double doors swung shut, I could see Traci shrink back against the corridor wall, with both hands over her mouth and terrible pain in her eyes.”
The book received a nice review from the New York Times Book Review. It’s available through Amazon.com for $16.47. Click on the icon for a link to Amazon. The Erika Kate Foundation receives a small commission from each copy of the book purchased via this link.
