What do you think these fellows have in common? It’s not their hairstyles or their fancy clothing. It’s not their magnetic personalities. It’s not because they all get up at 5 a.m., and it’s not that they have all run the Boston Marathon.
It’s their hearts!
These happy chappies are all glad to be alive, because they all had heart attacks and lived to fight another day. And the reason Martin, Ernest and Garry can all gather for a leisurely morning cruise on Miss Conduct is because of the fourth member of the group, Dr. John Fallon. Dr. Fallon performed the surgery at Maine Medical that quite possibly, and most probably, saved the lives of these fine gentlemen!
As a small gesture of thanks, Martin, Garry and Ernest arranged for Dr. Fallon and his family to spend the weekend here on the peninsula. What a special treat to have the doctor who held your heart in his hands and made needed repairs, land for an in person visit. This was an exceptionally emotional experience. Dr. Fallon had never gone lobstering, and he brought his gear and his family. Then the gang went haulin’.
Anyone who has been through a heart-stopping event, yours or someone close, can appreciate the significance of survival. Proper medical care is so important and my three friends cannot say enough good about Dr. Fallon. “He saved our lives,” all three agreed. And that’s all he does, and has done, as a remarkably young doctor, for many years.
Dr. Fallon went to college at Colby then studied at University of Massachusetts, practiced at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, then became chief resident at Emory University in Atlanta, before settling in at Maine Medical. But for this one weekend, Dr. Fallon set aside his surgical garb, rounded up his family and headed for Boothbay to go lobstering and spend a little time with his three old friends.
Garry, now the veteran heart patient of the threesome, realized something wasn’t right when he was making his regular morning pick up of lobsters and crabs from Robinson’s Wharf. He didn’t think it was his heart but with serious concern from Hugh and Chris at Robinson's, and a some “subtle” urging from his wife Karen, he got to “Urgent Care” in time to get help and head for Portland.
Martin was loading a portable toilet onto his trailer when his heart hit a rough spot. He went down hard and on the way raked his leg across a bent license plate sticking out from the trailer causing an even more complicated injury. It took Martin a while to heal up enough from the leg injury before he was able to have quadruple bypass surgery. To this day, Martin is being careful. He still has a ways to go before back to full power.
Captain Morton, not to be outdone, checked in at Urgent Care the day after Martin. He hadn’t been feeling quite up to snuff for a while — a bit dizzy sometimes, supported by helpful medication, combined with Miss Conduct repairs in tight spaces, was the perfect storm of conditions for his heart to signal retreat. Dr. Fallon to the rescue!
It was a joyous weekend for all. Dr. Fallon clearly enjoyed his reunion with three fellows he had helped. But you won’t catch heart surgeons baiting traps very often.
I don’t think Dr. Fallon is ready to switch his surgical gear for “Grundens,” however, I do think it did his heart good to haul a few traps with his buddies.