We often say here “Gimme my damn data,” referring to our sentiment that data about our health is our data, about us, created for our well-being. And as the saying goes, “Nothing about me without me.”

And where, we might ask, is that more vital than in the heart?

SPM member Hugo Campos (Twitter @HugoOC) has a cardiac condition that makes him vulnerable to sudden cardiac arrest. Fortunately he has a device, an ICD – implanted cardiac defibrillator – a magical gadget that helps prevent arrest.  That’s good. But he’s also a geek – a data fiend – who would really like to make use of all the data in the ICD, and he can’t get at it. After all, he has a digital pedometer, Zeo sleep system, digital everything, and he tracks all that data – isn’t it ironic that the most important data is hidden from view?

So last fall at TEDx Cambridge, he gave this nine minute talk that makes the case – compellingly, I think – for letting him do as much as he can to use his heart’s data to save his own life. And tells the TEDx world about SPM, and e-patients “shifting from being mere passengers to responsible drivers of their health.” Spread the word!