Gerry Morris helping hearts volunteer cardiac care

You don’t have to ask him twice.  Gerry Morris is happy to lift up his shirt and show the thin white scar from the open heart surgery that saved his life 13 years ago here at KGH.

“Cardiac patients are always curious to see it. It’s something they worry about,” he says.

But the bigger concern, of course, for many patients facing heart surgery is what life will be like after the procedure? That’s why Gerry volunteers with the Helping Hearts program at KGH’s cardiac care unit. He’s living proof that life can be good after bypass surgery. 

Every Friday morning, the retired Queens biology professor drives 45 minutes to the hospital from his home north of the city. From the moment the 71-year-old steps onto the cardiac unit, he’s eager to get busy talking to the patients. 

“I’ve been through it. I’ve been there. I’ve been in that bed,” he says.

Gerry and his volunteer partner, Opal, make the rounds listening, offering advice, answering questions, and sharing their experiences as cardiac surgery survivors. 

“We ‘re not rushed.  We have time to sit and talk to the patients,” says Gerry. “When your heart gives out you feel betrayed.  Your body has let you down and it takes a long time to get your confidence back.  What I tell patients is how good you can feel within months.”

Gerry started feeling better in a hurry after his heart surgery and he’s now enjoying life to the full. Two years ago, he hiked 800 kilometers across Spain on the Santiago de Camino trail.  He’s taken up scuba diving, tried surfing and has been down the Amazon River.

Next up is a future trek through Nepal.

“Maybe I’m kidding myself but I think I’m fitter now than I was in my forties,” he says.

Nurse Donna Smith feels the contribution Gerry and all the Helping Hearts volunteers make is huge. They are really part of the staff on the unit.

“The volunteers tell patients what they need to know. We know it from books but they know it from having lived through it.  We couldn’t manage without them,” she says.

Cardiac Care Coordinator Nancy Murray agrees. Dedicated volunteers are an important resource because they can address everyday concerns and issues. 

“They survived,” she says. “And not only that, but for patients to see that they look this good is inspiring.”

Gerry gives his time to the cardiac patients at KGH.  But what he’s really giving them is hope and encouragement.