Auxocardia Fall 2023: Revival

A letter from the editor:

As I’ve been reflecting on a year of clinical experiences and planning for my own future in medicine, filled with excitement and uncertainty, I am reminded of the need for space to reflect and form our own narratives in this field. I am often caught in the struggle of how to connect past, present, and future selves but find that building (and rebuilding) my own narrative “code” of sorts continues to help define my role in these healthcare spaces. 

In this way, narrative building becomes another essential part of ourselves that we continue to build and edit in these spaces, bringing with it new life in each iteration. There is our genetic code - the near invisible introns and exons carried deep within us from the start of life. Then there’s our epigenetics - the acetylations and methylations unwinding and coiling to better reflect ourselves from the environments, relationships, and stressors we experience. And then there’s our narrative code, the piece of ourselves we build, tell, edit, revise, tell again, overhaul, and tell and tell and tell. This is the part of ourselves that gives us the chance to better define ourselves, understand ourselves, and connect with the world around us. It allows us to take in our experiences and hold space for the ways that our minds and bodies continue to change. It is the space that allows us to build ourselves whole. 

It is this essence of narrative that lies at the center of Auxocardia. How do the stories we tell help us process, reflect, connect, and deepen the experiences and relationships we encounter through this training? With the theme of Revival this issue we hope to spark that cyclical journey of building the narrative code.

We hope to give space to the many ways in which experiences with death and illness lead to new life and redemption, though leave an indelible mark in the process.

We hope to showcase the ways in which a turn inward - to our communities near and far, to our interests that lie outside the hospital halls, to our more intimate relationships - family, spouses, and future partners alike, all help to remind us of who we are, where we came from, and how to continue to build this narrative in a way that gives space for the necessary rests and pauses.

Let us make this space in order to return to the work even more whole, empathetic, and refreshed, knowing we are exactly where we need to be. 

We hope this issue provides you with the space to reflect on your own training and transformation of self. And with it, to make the time to enjoy the process of reading, of being slow, of reminding yourself that you’re not alone in this. We are all pushing to the edges, finding our limits, and trying again. We are so happy you’ve found your way here. 

Yours in writing,

Dev