Abbott Offices (Burlington MA)

Last Wednesday, my wife and I were invited to meet the good folks at Abbott Laboratories in Burlington MA. Members of their California and Switzerland teams were also present. Abbott recently took over Thoratec, the manufacturers of the HeartMate (HM) systems. The purpose of the meeting was to share my story, my perspectives on the therapy, and what I’d want in the future.

The day started with meeting with managers and leaders of the different units (engineering, software, clinical, etc.). Then, we toured the labs. After which, I gave a talk at the lunch meeting to about 100 people. Most were engineers (mechanical, electrical, biomedical, systems, software), and others from their quality and manufacturing teams in Massachusetts.  There were also two additional larger groups represented – the returned product assessment group (who review any product that comes back to the company and addresses all complaints) and the clinical affairs group (who plan and manage all of their clinical trials).

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Later in the day, we went on a  Boston Harbor cruise  with members of the team. Again, after a few other leaders spoke, I shared a few more words about our experience with the system, my perspective on the new peripherals and why their work is so important to myself, my family and many others. 

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”84″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″]It was a great honour and a great pleasure to be amongst the engineers and all of the staff in attendance on the day. The day was also an opportunity for me and my wife to express our gratitude to the teams behind my HeartMate3 LVAD system.

Thanks for what they do, thanks for the difference they make in my life every moment. Further, the day was a culmination of the immense work that has gone into making sure that I could stand to visit their offices and talk. I was there to express my gratitude to them, all their colleagues and all involved in the process.

They are not only helping me to stay alive but to be able, to be productive and to be useful to the world. Because of that work, I still have faith in life, hope for tomorrow, and dreams for the future.

Thank you.

-Bouba (the #heartofagiant)