Legendary investor Warren Buffett, in a letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders on 10 November, expressed gratitude for his life at 95, reflecting on a near-death experience in 1938, when he underwent an appendectomy.
“As Thanksgiving approaches, I’m grateful and surprised by my luck in being alive at 95. When I was young, this outcome did not look like a good bet. Early on, I nearly died,” Buffett said.
In the same letter to shareholders, Warren Buffett announced that he will stop writing annual reports. He will step down as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway by the end of this year, and Greg Abel will succeed him.
Born and raised in Omaha, Warren Buffett explained how citizens during the 1930s categorised hospitals based on two denominations of Christianity, that is, Catholic or Protestant, “a classification that seemed natural at the time. ”
Buffett, who was raised in a Protestant household, shared a friendly bond with his family’s Catholic doctor, Harley Hotz. Recollecting fond memories with his family doctor, Buffet said, “Dr Hotz called me Skipper and never charged much for his visits.”
Warren Buffett’s near-death experience
Warren Buffett suffered a severe stomachache in 1938. Dr Hotz visited and, after a brief examination, assured Buffett that he would be fine in the morning.
The doctor went back home and had dinner; however, he could not get his mind off the peculiar symptoms. Later that night, he sent Buffett to St Catherine’s Hospital for an emergency appendectomy.
What is an appendectomy?
An appendectomy involves surgically removing the appendix, a small pouch connected to the large intestine, mainly to treat appendicitis, which is an inflammation or infection of the appendix.
Is appendectomy deadly?
Appendix surgery isn’t typically life-threatening, but an untreated ruptured appendix can be dangerous since the infection may spread to the bloodstream. Although appendectomies are common and usually safe, all surgeries pose risks such as infection at the incision site, bleeding, or adverse reactions to anaesthesia, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
‘ I felt like I was in a nunnery’: Buffett’s recovery days
After undergoing an appendectomy, Buffett embraced his surroundings and enjoyed chatting during his recovery days. He shared a humorous anecdote about the teacher having classmates write letters to him, and he cherished notes written by girls.
“During the next three weeks, I felt like I was in a nunnery, and began enjoying my new “podium.” I liked to talk – yes, even then – and the nuns embraced me. To top things off, Miss Madsen, my third-grade teacher, told my 30 classmates to each write me a letter. I probably threw away the letters from the boys, but read and reread those from the girls; hospitalisation had its rewards,” Buffett said.
He mentioned a special gift from Aunt Edie during his recovery days, which was a professional fingerprinting set. He fingerprinted all the attending nuns at St Catherine’s, marking a unique interaction as a Protestant kid among them.
“The highlight of my recovery – which actually was dicey for much of the first week – was a gift from my wonderful Aunt Edie. She brought me a very professional-looking fingerprinting set, and I promptly fingerprinted all of my attending nuns. (I was probably the first Protestant kid they had seen at St. Catherine’s and they didn’t know what to expect),” he said.
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