Heart broken. Dr. David Fullerton @CUDeptSurg was my first mentor during surgical training @purplesurg @NMSurgery . Intern year, day 1 on the NMH Cardiac Surgery service. I receive a message while on the floor - “The Boss wants you to come down to the OR and see him”. Wondering how I could have screwed up so early on the rotation, I quickly change into scrubs and run down to the OR. “Sir?” “Tom, welcome to the Cardiac Surgery service. Tell me about yourself.” “I’m your new intern Sir.” “That’s not what I asked. Tell me your story.” Shocked that someone of the stature of Dr. Fullerton would be interested, I tell my story. And that started a relationship that has spanned the last 26 years. It was Dr. Fullerton who inspired the path to CT Surgery. He was one of my biggest advocates, carving out time to give brutally honest feedback, enormous generosity in seeking moments to catch up, and continuously pushing me to be the best I could be in my professional career. Tireless mentorship. The giants in our world not only see the world as it is, they aspire and build the world as it should be. They don’t overlook the “afterthoughts” or “others” in a training program. They actively seek them out, and inspire in them the potential of what they can be. I am blessed to have had Dr. Fullerton in my life. May his memory be eternal. 🙏🏾 @STS_CTsurgery