Local cardiologist shares ‘Stories From My Heart’
When Dr. M.P. Ravindra Nathan enters a room, he makes quite a presence. To hint that he has an air of authority might suggest he displays arrogance. Yet assertive ego-driven confidence is far from the right choice of descriptors. Nathan, whether in his white lab coat or neatly pressed sport jacket, radiates a passion not witnessed enough in the medical field.
Born, raised and educated in India with a constructed post-graduate stance in England, Nathan has been a practicing physician for more than 50 years. A cardiologist whose field of expertise took him to small clinics in India and England, then to the U.S. to settle in Hernando County, Nathan has an impressive resume. He also has a long list of stories he retells, providing infallible detail about a certain patient or situation or lesson he learned.
To suggest he has witnessed moments in time that would mold greatly into book form would be understating his ambition significantly. Because Nathan not only made a mental note to follow up with future writings, he took time to make actual notations that he would publish later into several medical journal essays.
“I had 50 of them,” Nathan said. “And I took 45 that I put into the book.”
The compilation is affectionately titled “Stories From My Heart: A Cardiologist’s Reflections on the Gift of Life.” The book is a collection of 45 different experiences while practicing his expertise as a skilled cardiologist.
His purpose in writing the book, Nathan said, was to provide a softer window into his profession as a cardiologist, often dealing with life-and-death situations. Throughout his experience, Nathan found he often learned more about how to deliver quality empathy from the patients themselves.
Nathan retells each experience with incredible detail, exploring real time solutions in many circumstances he witnessed as the practicing physician. Many are poignant tales of survival or lessons of truth. He closes each with a rendering of what he learned and how each lesson could be used in his field to better serve patients.
One touching tale centered on a dying heart patient given six months to live. Nathan took over the patient’s care.
The excerpt from the chapter titled “Prescribing Hope” is a reminder of the power of the will to live:
“You mean I have a chance,” he asked.
“Of course. Nothing is written in stone here. Together we can stretch this heart to work a few more months or even years. Count your blessings, Ted. At least you don’t have a rapidly spreading cancer.
“The look on his face told me he had changed from a timid man to an intrepid soldier ready to fight for his life.”
Now retired due to health concerns, Nathan volunteers his time at the Crescent Community Clinic in Spring Hill. On Tuesday, Nathan will hold a book-signing event at the clinic, located at 5244 Commercial Way, beginning at 5 p.m.
“Stories From My Heart: A Cardiologist’s Reflections on the Gift of Life” can be purchased at the event or at www.create space.com/4230283, amazon.com and all major online and offline bookstores and retailers.
This was a good time to gather his published essays and other notes and compile them into a collection, Nathan said. The result is a journey into the perspective of a doctor struggling to make a difference in his profession.
