David Sims, M.D.: Rock n roll heart surgeon
by Kathy Hagood
Dr. David Sims, M.D., well-known on the Space Coast as both a heart
surgeon and member of the “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” rock-n-roll band,
never considered any other career besides medicine when he was growing
up in Riverside, N.J.
His father, now deceased, was a doctor,
and his older brother followed the same track.
“It was just a given. I admired my
father and his work, and it was natural that I would follow in his
footsteps,” says Sims, who plays the piano, as did his father.
Sims’ father started out as a dentist,
but then went on to medical school to become a doctor. The elder Sims
then opened a freestanding occupational emergency medicine clinic.
“He was really ahead of his time,” Sims
says.
Although Sims was bent on becoming a
physician, he never planned to become a surgeon, especially a cardiac
surgeon.
His interest in surgery
was first piqued after he saw an operation in 1988 while attending
medical school in Grenada.
“I instantly knew that
that was what I was meant to do. You just know,” Sims says. “I’ve talked
to other surgeons, and they say the same thing.”
Most medical students
learn after viewing their first operation that surgery is not their
thing, he says.
“Surgery is a lot more
intense than other forms of medicine. You are basically invading another
person’s body,” Sims says.
Surgery is the treatment
of last resort, he points out, when all other options have failed. It
can be a life or death alternative.
Cardiac surgery, which is
highly complicated, is known to be among the most challenging of all
surgical specialties. Sims was awe-struck the first time he observed a
heart operation in 1991 during his general surgery residency.
“The heart is stopped and
ice put on it. All the blood is drained from the body. Later after what
needs to be done is done, the heart is started again, and in some cases
the patient is sitting his bed eating dinner that evening. Pretty
dramatic. I was fascinated,” he says.
Witnessing the procedure,
Sims immediately knew that he wanted to become a heart surgeon, which
required additional training.
Sims describes heart surgery as a
thousand small steps that have to be performed perfectly or death may
result.
“It’s not something everyone would want
to do, but I find it compelling,” he says.
After his cardiac surgery fellowship
Sims attended a medical conference in New Orleans and ran into an old
colleague, Dr. Bill Sanabria, M.D.
Sanabria was five years
ahead of him when Sims started his residency in Miami.
“He was greatly admired by all the
residents and hospital staff,” Sims says.
Fortuitously, Sanabria was looking for
a partner for his cardiac surgery practice at Wuestoff, and Sims jumped
at the opportunity.
“I feel like I won the Lotto. You
couldn’t find a better partner, and I love living in this area,” Sims
says.
Not too long afterwards Sims met Jack Masucci, a neighbor in the Merritt Island subdivision where Sims and his
family lives. Sims and Masucci, a jewelry store owner and bass player
for the “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” band, soon became fast friends.
“We were both originally from
Riverside, so it was the two Jersey boys,” Sims says.
Sims oftentimes jammed with Masucci,
and came to know the other members of the band. The lead singer and
keyboard player suggested Sims take over playing the keyboard for the
band, so Sims joined the group in May 2000.
The band now plays twice a
month at Grills in the Cove at Port Canaveral. Sims frequently plays at
home. He wife says his piano playing “keeps him sane.”
“I would play the piano all day if I
could,” Sims says.
His patients often come out to hear him
play at Grills, his wife says.
“He’s not you typical surgeon. My
friends are always surprised when they learn that’s what he does for a
living,” Leslie Sims says.
Sims makes an effort to connect with
his patients as did he father before him.
“Your patient puts his or her life in
your hands, they need to feel comfortable with you,” he says.
But these days some of his former
patients don’t recognize him at first. That’s because he’s 70 pounds
lighter than he was in August 2006.
“After my mother passed
away last year, I took a hard look at my life and decided I didn’t want
to live the rest of my life being overweight,” he says.
His wife had lost 60
pounds several years before on a Weight Watchers program. Sims used a
NutraSystem meal plan and exercise to lose his weight, and now maintains
his weight loss and 31-inch waist with calorie control and daily
exercise. He takes NutraSystem meals with him when he travels.
“I always struggled with being
overweight as far back as I can remember. My first size was ‘husky,’” he
says.
Although he’s lost lesser amounts and
gained them back in the past, he’s determined to keep the weight off
this time. He counts his calories religiously and exercises every day,
fitting in gym time during the morning, midday or evening.
“If you’re one of those people who
tends to gain weight, I think you have to become a little obsessed to
keep it off. I’ve used a bit of obsession to succeed in other areas of
my life, like my work, so why not when it comes to weight management,”
he says.