Mehmet C. Oz, MD

Doctors enter and exit the lives of our patients, changing them, we hope for the better. Often the favor is returned and a patient or family comes along to change us for the better by what they teach us. I met Rocco the way most doctors meet people: Someone was sick and needed my help. It was November 2005, right after Thanksgiving. His charming mother, Nicolina, had suffered a massive heart attack on her way to a doctor’s appointment. She practically died in Rocco’s arms. She was rushed into surgery, and thankfully, her life was saved.

As is sometimes the case, Nicolina would ultimately need a pacemaker, a heart-valve replacement, and a stent to keep one of her arteries propped open. A friend of Rocco’s suggested that he get in touch with me to perform these procedures. Of course I agreed. I sat down with Rocco and his mom and talked as best I could in plain, everyday language about what the surgery and recovery would entail.

Heart surgery, like all surgeries, is serious business. When you treat and care for people undergoing surgery, you get to know them and their families at an intensely personal level. You prepare them emotionally and physically for the operation and encourage them through the rougher parts of recovery. You become very close with the families as you study what is best for them. Through the experience, I discovered that Rocco and I had many shared interests—health, cooking, living a balanced life. Rocco had the same mission I had: to fundamentally change how we treat ourselves—mind, body, and soul. We became fast friends.

And then I discovered his amazing talent for cooking healthy foo...