Medicine: Implants: A Family Affair

Artificial hearts bring travail to patients' kin

A year has passed since William Schroeder awoke in Louisville to the sounds of an artificial heart thumping away in his chest. The promise of that day has almost vanished. All but gone is the man who impressed the world with his spunk--teasing his doctors just days after surgery, asking for beer, talking forthrightly with President Reagan by phone and bullishly announcing to the world, "I feel like I've got ten years left." Three strokes, one suffered in mid-November, have left the once irrepressible Schroeder feeble, barely able to speak, weepy and depressed. His fondest hope--to return to his home in...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!