I have broken my heart more times than I can remember.
Lost a loved one, love, left alone to feel.
Held the hand of a dying,
longed for something that never came.
Heard a crack under the breastbone,
barely breathed for a while.
Takotsubo was inspired by an article about broken heart syndrome. It described how, in 2004, Japanese doctors reported that individuals visiting clinics after an earthquake had symptoms similar to those experienced during a heart attack. The pain caused by takotsubo cardiomyopathy during and after a major emotional shock resembles a heart attack. In this condition, the left ventricle of the heart changes its shape, resembling a Japanese octopus trap (“tako-tsubo” in Japanese). The pain experienced during heartache is physiologically real, not just figurative. The question whether you could die from a broken heart appeared in a new light. I began to depict the feeling based on intuition.