Listen to this audiobook free with a 30-day trial. Go to http://hotaudiobook.com/free Title: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Stress TestAuthor: Brian GariNarrator: Brian GariFormat: UnabridgedLength: 1 hr and 1 minLanguage: EnglishRelease date: 11-28-12Publisher: BearManor MusicGenres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & MusiciansPublisher's Summary:In 1952 20th century entertainment icon Eddie Cantor survived his first heart attack. He coins the name cardiactor.Sixty years later, grandson Brian Gari undergoes a sudden open heart surgery and has a quadruple bypass. Little did Brian know at two and a half that his posing with his grandpa for the Heart Fund would end up being so prophetic. This is Brian's personal story of what you can expect (and not expect) when undergoing one of the most serious operations one can ever endure. It is filled with both humor and sadness when facing one of life's most challenging moments.Members Reviews:Straight From The---Well, You Know . . .I've worked with Brian in cabaret, and he is as funny and brimming with energy and passion in person as he is on the page, so I'm not surprised he found humor and introspection in a very serious event. You'll hold your breath and let it out in relief along with Brian, and smile at his wry observations on surviving a hospital stay, especially one as unexpected and with as high stakes as a heart operation. Laughter is the best medicine, it is said; it certainly helped him recover, and Jeanne and his mom as well I'm sure---and it'll do you a world of good as well. This is one of the "million stories in the naked city" that will make you realize the wondrous fragility of life and how we have to hold on to those we love as fiercely as possible.A need for this book.Required reading for those about to face open heart surgery, post-surgical patients, their caregivers and even medical providers. As one who has had open heart surgery and now provides volunteer support for patients and their families, I see the need for more information on what to expect before and after surgery. This is important information too infrequently provided by the medical team. This book serves that purpose well in an honest, realistic and entertaining way. Most importantly, it shows that there is life after open heart surgery. Highly recommended.A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To My Stress TestWho would have thought that something as mundane as heart bypass surgery could be made into an interesting book? Well, Brian Gari has done it. He describes his symptoms, diagnosis, the deed, convalescence, recovery, etc., with intelligence and wit. There are funny stories about doctor visits, nurse shenanigans, expensive prescriptions, and even the administration of Tylenol while he was under sedation (guess). They didn't sneak that one by him. It kept me turning the pages.This is not a sterile, clinical book about open heart surgery. It is an amusing account of a necessary, not so amusing, procedure. I really enjoyed it.Sonny CurtisSnarky, Engaging and REAL.This is an honest, no-holds-barred account of a procedure so many have gone through. Brian tells his truth of his experience with insights that range from fear to aggravation, gratitude to bravado. It's an engaging trip through a potentially life-ending situation, each paragraph offering a new nugget of insight to which anyone can relate. For those of us with friends and family who have gone through this, it's a revelation into what our loved ones have experienced. It also provides lessons in reaching out to people going through crises - the seemingly "little" gestures can mean so much to those caring for their loved ones through recovery from serious surgeries.