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Jul 31, 2020 | Documentaries

At The Heart Of The Matter

Documentaries

Written by bennerg

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Our heart is critical to live, every second of the day. If it stops, or falters, then we die.

Sometimes, however, it becomes irregular. A condition often referred to as “tachycardia”.

This project is a personal journey for the Producer Gary Benner, from when he was 18 years old and began to suffer random attacks of irregular heartbeat, causing him to collapse, and many time require CPR to recover.

Diagnosed with a specific condition known as Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome, he was the first patient in New Zealand to have open heart surgery to correct the condition. This meant 10 days in ICU, and 4 months off work

Then thirty years later he had a catch up operation, now done with catheters, in a one day procedure. Two days later he was chainsawing firewood.

This project is dedicated to the pioneering cardiologists and surgeons who have improved the lives of thousands of kiwis who have had this procedure, in Cathlabs around New Zealand.