Welcome
Hi, I'm Chris Knott-Craig, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon and author of Lend Me a Kiss, Bedtime Dinosaur Stories, and The Weird Animal Club Children’s Book Series. My autobiography No Crying Allowed was published in 2018. It chronicles my journey to realize my dream to be a cardiac surgeon – from a farm boy in rural South Africa to the Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Memphis Tennnessee, a program ranked in the top 10 in the USA. Enjoy the site!
All the best,
CKC

Interviews with the Author
Preview the Newest Book!
Books

Lend Me a Kiss

The Weird Animal Club

Bedtime Dinosaur Stories for Kids

The Weird Animal Club at Halloween

The Weird Animal Club Goes to School

No Crying Allowed
The Journey from Farm Boy to Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon: a Collection of Essays and MemoirsFrom the time he was fourteen years old, Christopher Knott-Craig wanted to be a heart surgeon. Six months after beginning his training as a cardiac surgeon, his professor suggested he try a different specialty. Undaunted, he begged for a second chance, which the professor reluctantly granted. Through perseverance, hard work, and determination, Knott-Craig became an internationally recognized pediatric cardiac surgeon. No Crying Allowed chronicles the trials and tribulations of becoming a pediatric heart surgeon.

About the Author
Christopher John Knott-Craig was born and raised in rural South Africa in 1953. His parents and grandparents were all newspaper editors. After training as a pediatric cardiac surgeon, he was recruited to Oklahoma City in 1991 where he was Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery until 2006. Since 2008 he has been Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and Executive Co-Director of the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis TN.
He first gained international recognition in 1994 when he became the first surgeon in the world to successfully repair newborn babies with the hitherto fatal cardiac condition called Ebstein’s Anomaly. He has been personally recognized for his humanitarian contributions by Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II. Chris has also completed 16 marathons, several triathlons and successfully climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in 2007. He loves poetry, story-telling, classical music, and impressionist art.
