We can’t always predict when the unexpected will happen. Dr. Siva Murugappan understands this more than most. As a general surgeon, he’s an expert on prevention and protocols. A stroke definitely wasn’t on the agenda; he’d just climbed Mount Kailash in Tibet, 21,778 feet above sea level. But four months later, a stroke is exactly what happened-right in the middle of a medical procedure on a patient. Dr. Murugappan quickly discovered the guidelines and their limitations won’t work for him, that he must forge his own path.
Frontiers: A Surgeon’s Journey through Stroke is a stroke survivor’s memoir through recovery and its expected and unexpected challenges. Told from the perspectives of Dr. Murugappan and his wife Dr. Prema Samy, Frontiers illustrates the ways stroke affects survivors and their loved ones alike.
More than anything, this is a story of perseverance. Dr. Murugappan refuses to accept the narrative imposed him, that he’ll never practice medicine as he did pre-stroke. Like climbing Mount Kailash, stroke recovery becomes his new frontier. Regaining his medical licence drives his rehabilitation. This new purpose becomes essential when Dr. Murugappan and Dr. Samy realize there is no precedent in Canada for a doctor reclaiming their licence post-stroke. Now, this frontier must be surmounted not only for himself but for anyone in a similar situation, regardless of profession. And while he undertakes these challenges, his wife and caretaker must overcome her own. How much can anyone endure? How much can their marriage take? Dr. Murugappan and Dr. Samy soon find out.
Dr. Siva Murugappan is a general surgeon and husband to Dr. Prema Samy, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon. Dr. Murugappan is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Canadian Medical Protective Association, and the Ontario Medical Association. Frontiers: The Journey of Two Surgeons Through Stroke is their first book. With so few stroke memoirs available, they were inspired to share their story in the hopes of helping others. Their perspectives as practicing doctors, with Dr. Murugappan’s unwavering desire to return to work, will inspire stroke survivors to transcend their own frontiers. When he’s not in the hospital, Dr. Murugappan enjoys reading and golfing. They live in Chatham, Ontario, with their golden retriever.
