In December, 1975, at the age of nine, I had one of the most significant experiences of my life: I spent a week at Boston Children's Hospital to have one of my congenital heart defects, a coarctation of the aorta, repaired by cutting the narrow section out and stitching the resulting ends together (an end-to-end anastomosis, I believe). They went in through my left side/back, and now I've had this long scar for 50 years. Happy Anniversary, scar!