This post was authored by John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, president elect of the ACC.

Heart disease claimed another American icon over the weekend. Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who was a member of the Apollo 11 crew and made history when he became the first man to step on the moon in 1969, died from “complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.”

With the flood of tributes and press coverage over the past few days telling the story of Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew, I am reminded of those moments in life and individuals who have the power to change lives. How many of us can remember where we were when Armstrong said his now famous words: “that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”? I remember it vividly and I was in Ireland watching the moon landing in the early hours of the morning Irish time and hearing "Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed.”  Armstrong’s Apollo 11 crew member Buzz Aldrin had shared with me that the lunar lander had only 60 seconds of fuel with 100 feet to touchdown. I had the privilege of being with the three Apollo 11 astronauts at City Hall in New York City on August 12, 1969 when then Mayor John V. Lindsay welcomed them to New York City following a  ticker tape parade on Broadway.

The Apollo 11 astronauts had fulfilled President Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon and as Apollo 11 flight director Gene Kranz stated "It was risky, but it was typical America. You know this is 'what Americans can dare, Americans can do.'" Neil Armstrong, remained modest, always saying he was just part of the team and nation that made it happen. Armstrong once stated: “… I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine…” Although Armstrong became a household name, in the world of cardiology we should not take for granted the daily impact we have our patient’s lives. In our field we are also exposed to individuals that motivate and encourage us to push ourselves to our maximum potential and have impacted us for the better. The NASA astronauts had the “right stuff” and inspired professionalism and mentorship as exemplified by my friend astronaut Story Musgrave who spoke on leadership to our Board of Governors.

Mentorship is an important part of our field, and years ago I developed the International “Twinning Program” in order to collaborate and share educational programs and resources, as well as participate in institutional visits, lecture tours and mini-preceptorships. Along with Dr. John Ryan, a Facebook page for the Irish and British Cardiac Community has been created for all cardiovascular professionals who have Irish and British background. Through this group we hope to foster relationships and mentorship, plus it really is a small world and you never know who you could be related to (read about “a celestial convergence,” in my previous blog post, here).

Enhancing the lives of patients is at the core of the College’s mission, and each year the College recognizes esteemed individuals who have made significant contributions to the profession. The ACC Distinguished Awards are presented each year during the Convocation ceremony at the Annual Scientific Session, and range from early career distinguished awards, mid-to-late career distinguished awards and the honorable Master of the American College of Cardiology award. Nominations are open until Sept. 7 so check out the list (which includes two new categories for Distinguished Associate and Distinguished Mentor) and get your letters of support together to nominate those who have positively influenced our lives and given us “one giant leap” in the field of cardiology.

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