In the excerpt below, Schwarzenegger describes how his valve-replacement surgery turned into a far more invasive open-heart surgery.
That was the whole reason I decided to have the procedure when I did.
This would be perfect timing, I thought.
I knew I needed to replace the valve, which had a life span of 10 to 12 years.
Then I woke up.
The doctor was standing over me and a breathing tube was jammed down my throat.
Im sorry, Arnold, the doctor said, there were complications.
We had to open you up.
As the doctor explained the situation, I had many thoughts and emotions spinning inside my head.
I was scared, because theyd nearly killed me.
I was pissed off, because this was going to be a major problem for production.
Lets switch gears here.
Now you have a goal, to get out of this place.
Its time to get to work.
I rang the call button next to my bed.
This was a system that worked.
I knew how to do this.
Plus, it allowed me to track my progress visually, which gave me confidence and built momentum.
A month after that, I was on a plane to Budapest to begin filming, right on schedule.
This always surprises me, because never once did I think about it.
In fact, I knew beforehand that mistakes can happen with this kind of procedure.
The actor Bill Paxton died from complications during a similar valve-replacement procedure at the same hospital the year prior.
Beyond that, and beyond the fact that Id prepared for this possibility, these doctors are only human.
They did the best they could.
And dont forget, they saved my life!
What would be the point of suing them?
It doesnt change what happened.
Who would benefit besides the lawyers?
What positive thing could any of us take from that experience if it ended in a lawsuit?
How much time do you spend worrying about things that might happen that you couldnt possibly predict or prevent?
But you might take back that time!
you’re able to repurpose it.
you might make it productive.
you could turn a negative situation into a positive experience.
