Keri Fluit
Plymouth Christian High School
Grand Rapids

Have we ever thought about how many people’s lives would be affected from the loss of a loved one if it weren’t for surgeons? As I stare at the clock that is ticking away, I realize how many people are having a surgery right now or are even recovering from one. My father, who is a surgical nurse in a major cardiovascular operating room, is my personal Michigan Hero.

When I was little, I always thought my dad was the strongest, and the best at everything, just like every child in the world. But, little did I know, that he is the strongest and the best at running the operating room and assisting with the surgery. Every morning as he drives away, I always think, "Today again he will save someone’s life." It makes me proud to know that my dad can lead a team of highly trained surgeons, nurses, and assistants whose one goal is to work together to operate on a heart and return the healthy patients to their loved ones.

My hero’s primary job is to coordinate over 100 team members to safely perform surgery. This includes stopping the heart and lungs and restarting them after the surgery is completed. Sometimes I hear him relate how the team would spend up to 20 hours taking a sick person’s heart out and replacing it with a donor’s heart. Some nights, I’m impressed to hear him talk about a helicopter landing with flight nurses doing CPR to keep the person alive. His team has to be ready in less than four minutes to operate. Ten hours later the person is leaving the operating room expected to live. On busy days they can spend over half a million dollars on providing care for the sick.

Even though my father is a very busy professional, he still comes home willing to help me run a hobby farm. His knowledge in the medical field is impressive, and has helped in many situations; he helps on our farm as well, when animals need medical attention. Together, we have learned much about organic farming and raising animals. We have learned how to milk a cow, assist our cow in giving birth, raise pigs, and butcher our own chickens. Working side by side with my dad on our small farm has taught me so much about the joy of working with animals and about the responsibility required to run a hobby farm. My father, who saves lives daily, has taught me how there is so much need in the world, and how important it is for me to help others.