ABSTRACT
Lilly was recuperating from triple bypass surgery when I entered her room in the cardiac unit of Franciscan Hospital, a small, non-profit, Catholic-affiliated hospital located in northern, coastal California.1 Preparing to cough, she wrapped her arms tightly around a small, red, heart-shaped pillow, positioned on the center of her chest. Coughing is excruciatingly painful following bypass, but something patients must do periodically, to clear the lungs and reduce the risk of developing pneumonia. She was clinging to the pillow as if for dear life, hoping to lessen the pain and protect her incision. Pain occurs at the incision and in the sternum, which surgeons saw through and crack open to expose the heart and coronary arteries for bypass grafting. Taking note of me, Lilly loosened her grip on the pillow. My entrance into the room had given her an excuse to postpone the ordeal.
