These five poems tell the story of sixteen-year-old Yannis’ pulmonary valve replacement surgery at the end of 2006  through his mum’s eyes.

The first four poems are a window for Yannis to peek into my experiences, that were so bound up with his while we were in The Prince Charles Hospital. The fifth poem is for all the other parents who know that there comes a time when, although you want to keep cradling your child close, you have to let them go into the world. I believe that this is one of the most loving things you can do (although they probably won’t know it until they are parents themselves!).

I scribed the first  poem, Open Heart, in my notebook while Yannis was in surgery the second time around. Your Heart, His Sleeve is dedicated to Dr. Andrew Clarke – it came from a few notes jotted down at the time and the picture, held timeless in my mind, of one simple gesture that expressed all his compassion and humanity.

The other poems were written after we came back home. Yannis is now bouncing around, back to his usual self. This is really only one chapter of his story, but one with a happy ending  and one I’m pleased to share with you.

© Helen Ramoutsaki 2007