Medtronic - HVAD Patients

Real Patients - Real Stories

I have been shooting for Medtronic for three years at their annual patient summit. Photographing Medtronic’s patients is an incredible experience. There are always tears shed, both of sorrow and joy. Hearing the patient stories and spending time with a group whom without the HVAD, wouldn’t be with us, makes for an incredible day of laughs and lessons. This year we created a series of lifestyle images to demonstrate how patients can live normal active lives with the HVAD.

Making someone that has just survived heart surgery feel comfortable in front of a camera and with a photo crew looking on is always challenging. Without fail though, the patients and I are laughing and joking within a minute, which is a pure testament to the patients resolve.

HVAD - What the what??

For those of you (like me) who have no idea what an HVAD is allow me to enlighten you and at the same time, introduce a group that each year, continues teach me about living life to the fullest and cherishing each day. Enjoy the images!

So what is an HVAD? Here’s the description from the Medtronic site

“A ventricular assist device (VAD) is a mechanical pump. When one of the heart’s natural pumps (a ventricle) does not perform well, a VAD is used to increase the amount of blood that flows through the body. Having a VAD implant allows most people with advanced heart failure to return to a fuller life.”