‘I Wasn’t Afraid to Die. I Was a Soldier’: Veteran Asks Heart Surgeon to Save Sentimental Tattoo During Transplant
Chicago Tribune | By Peter Breen
Published November 11, 2024 at 9:25 am
Before his heart transplant, Louis Smith was prepared for death.
In Saudi Arabia right after the Gulf War, the 66-year-old veteran helped lead a missile platoon that guarded aircraft. He served his country for more than two decades in the Middle East, South Korea and Europe.
"I wasn't afraid to die. I was a soldier," said Smith, a Chicagoland native who, at the age of 17, followed in his father's footsteps and joined the U.S. Army.
However, Smith was concerned about what life would be like if major cardiac surgery messed up a sentimental chest tattoo. Smith was hospitalized around Thanksgiving last year due to a hereditary condition that caused a buildup of abnormal proteins in his heart and eventually transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital to get ready for the procedure.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/11/11/i-wasnt-afraid-die-i-was-soldier-veteran-asks-heart-surgeon-save-sentimental-tattoo-during.html
