Dr. Michael DeBakey: A Real Icon
We generally hold sports figures, artists and people of high profile as our icons. We don’t really think of doctors as icons. Dr. Michael DeBakey was a real icon. A medical pioneer who invented medical instruments and many heart saving and helping procedures, Dr. DeBakey died last week. He was 99 and had worked well into his 90’s. God knows when to let someone live a long time.
Dr. DeBakey was the first to do heart bypass surgery. He is responsible for many of the therapies we use today, including the now common Dacron patch when fixing up a heart. He got the original Dacron for his surgeries from the downtown Foley’s in Houston.
I imagine it could be said Dr. Michael DeBakey was just as much God as an icon. He did so much good for mankind. People like him only come along every now and then. His contributions to mankind really can’t be measured. We have so much to be thankful for when it comes to all the things he did for heart care.
Many thousands of heart specialists have studied and worked with Dr. DeBakey. They will continue to carry on his work and study, and hopefully his research. We can ill afford to lose many Dr. Michael DeBakey’s. His stature was great. I know he rests well. But we have lost a real icon with his death.
