Human Heart

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Can you feel me? I am the little drum that plays a rhythm inside you all day and all night. When you are running across the playground, chasing a ball or a butterfly, I beat fast and strong, like a drummer in a parade. Boom-boom-boom. I send energy to your legs so you can run and to your arms so you can climb. But when you are snuggled in your bed, listening to a bedtime story, I slow down. Thump… thump… thump. I become quiet and steady, helping you rest and dream. I am your very own engine, always working to keep you going. I am your Heart.

For a very, very long time, people knew I was important, but they had to figure out my special job. Thousands of years ago, in a place called ancient Egypt, around the year 1550 BCE, people thought I was the home for all your feelings. They believed that happiness, sadness, and courage all lived right inside of me. They were partly right, because you can feel me beat faster when you get excited or scared. But I had an even bigger secret. Many years later, in 1628, a curious doctor named William Harvey watched me very closely. He discovered my true superpower. He realized I was not just a house for feelings, but a powerful pump. He explained that I push your red blood all around your body in a big circle, called circulation. Your blood is like a delivery service, carrying oxygen from your lungs and energy from your food to every single part of you, from your brain to your tiptoes.

Today, people know so much about how to take care of me. Doctors can listen to my steady thump-thump with a tool called a stethoscope to make sure I am healthy. They have learned so much that they can even perform amazing miracles to help me. On December 3rd, 1967, a doctor named Christiaan Barnard performed the very first heart transplant, giving a person a new heart so they could keep living. But you are the most important person for keeping me strong. When you eat healthy foods like apples and carrots, run around outside, and share hugs with people you love, you are taking care of me. I am a symbol of life and love, and my favorite job is beating just for you, every single day.