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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ001121A
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00:24 I'm standing at the very southern tip of Africa. Behind 00:28 me is magnificent Table Mountain one of Africa's most famous 00:33 landmarks. For centuries this sandstone mountain has welcomed 00:39 seafarers and adventurers who rounded the Cape of Good Hope 00:43 and set out to explore the vast interior that lies behind it's 00:48 massive flat-topped summit. And 50 years ago one of them, a son 00:55 of Africa performed a medical miracle right here in the shadow 00:58 of Table Mountain that stunned the medical fraternity and 01:03 changed the lives of thousands of people around the world. 01:07 I'm in Cape Town following the footsteps of Dr. Christiaan 01:12 Barnard. Stay with us to hear his inspiring story. It may 01:17 just give you a change of heart and bring you peace and 01:22 happiness. 01:23 ♪ ♪ 01:45 Africa is the second largest of the earth's seven continents 01:47 and it's a continent of superlatives when it comes to 01:52 natural wonders. The world's longest river, the world's 01:55 largest desert, the world's largest waterfall, the fastest 02:00 animal on earth, the tallest animal in the world, the largest 02:05 land animal and on and on we could go. Africa has it all. But 02:12 even with all this natural wealth and beauty it's the 02:15 the people that live here that make Africa special. African's 02:20 have made significant contributions the fields of 02:23 language, writing, architecture, mathematics and religion. The 02:30 same could be said for other fields as well. They've led the 02:33 way in establishing law codes, the mining of minerals, iron 02:38 smelting, international trade, philosophy and medicine. And it 02:44 was in this field, medicine, that an extraordinary event took 02:49 place 50 years ago in Cape Town that stunned the world's 02:53 medical fraternity. A young South African doctor performed 02:58 a medical miracle. Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the 03:03 world's first human-to-human heart transplant here at Groote 03:08 Schuur Hospital and by doing so he pushed the boundaries of 03:12 science into the dawn of a new medical era that has brought 03:15 life and hope to thousands of people around the world. 03:23 Christiaan Neethling Barnard was born on the 8th of November 1922 03:30 in the sleepy little town of Beaufort West in the western 03:34 province of South Africa. It's famous for its donkey carts and 03:38 they're still one of the most interesting ways to tour the 03:41 town today. Beaufort West was the first town established 03:46 in South 03:47 Africa's arid interior region called the Great Karoo and it's 03:51 known as the capital of the Karoo. Near the old town hall 03:57 in the center of Beaufort West is the Barnard family home where 04:01 young Chris grew up with his four brothers. His father, Adam 04:05 Barnard, was the minister of the local Dutch Reformed Church and 04:10 the family lived in the old church parsonage next door to 04:13 the church. One of his brothers, Abraham, died of a heart problem 04:18 at the age of five and this tragedy made a lasting 04:23 impression on young Chris. His early years were closely linked 04:29 to the old Dutch Reformed Mission Church where his father 04:33 preached and his mother played the organ. His parents were 04:36 compassionate people who ministered to the poor. Their 04:41 values and work ethic were passed on to Chris and his 04:45 brothers. The boys were encouraged to do their best and 04:49 pursue excellence in all they did. Young Chris developed a 04:53 strong inner drive and was methodical and purposeful 04:57 in all his endeavors. He also inherited his parent's 05:01 compassion for poor and oppressed people of all races 05:05 and nationalities and this remained a character trait 05:10 throughout his life. Chris attended Beaufort West Central 05:16 High School. He was a good student and applied himself to 05:19 his studies. He did well at school and in addition to 05:23 excelling in his schoolwork he also learned music and played 05:28 sports. Chris matriculated from Beaufort West Central 05:31 High School 05:32 with high grades in 1940 and decided to further his studies 05:37 at university. He decided to study medicine and so moved to 05:41 Cape Town and enrolled in the University of Cape Town Medical 05:46 School. The Barnard family wasn't wealthy but he managed 05:50 to secure a scholarship. He stayed with his older brother 05:54 and walked to the university. There was little money to spare 05:58 and they were challenging years. But Barnard applied himself to 06:02 his studies and graduated from the University of Cape Town in 06:08 1945. He completed his internship and residency 06:12 at Groote Schuur Hospital situated on the slopes of 06:16 Devil's Peak in the shadow of Table Mountain. Groote Schuur 06:20 is the chief academic hospital of the University of Cape Town's 06:24 Medical School and provides tertiary care and instruction in 06:29 all the major branches of medicine. Barnard then left Cape 06:34 Town and worked as general practitioner in Ceres, a rural 06:38 town in the Cape Province. In 1951, Barnard returned to Cape 06:44 Town where he worked in the Department of Medicine at Groote 06:48 Schuur Hospital as a registrar. He completed his master's degree 06:53 and a doctorate in Medicine in 1953 from the University of Cape 06:59 Town. In 1956, he received a two year scholarship for post 07:03 graduate training in cardiothoracic surgery at the 07:08 University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, United 07:12 States. When he returned to South Africa in 1958 Barnard was 07:18 appointed cardiothoracic surgeon at the Groote Schuur Hospital 07:22 and established the hospital's first heart unit. He introduced 07:26 open heart surgery to his home country and designed artificial 07:30 valves for the human heart. He also experimented with the 07:34 transplantation of the hearts of dogs. More than 50 dogs 07:40 received transplanted hearts. For several years Barnard 07:43 continued experimenting with animal heart transplants. With 07:48 this experience and with the availabilty of new breakthroughs 07:52 introduced by several other heart surgery pioneers, Barnard 07:56 was finally in a position to prepare for a human transplant. 08:01 And he had a patient willing to undergo the procedure. 08:07 Louis Washkansky was a 53-year- old grocer suffering from 08:10 diabetes and incurable disease. His heart was grossly enlarged 08:16 and was going to fail at any moment. There was no hope for 08:20 him. Without a new heart his days were numbered. So Chris 08:24 Barnard and his team had a desparate and willing patient in 08:29 need of a heart transplant, but they needed a suitable donor. 08:33 Now Chris Barnard and his team weren't the only surgical team 08:38 preparing to conduct a human heart transplant. At least three 08:43 American heart surgeons and their teams were also ready and 08:46 waiting to perform a human heart transplant. By the end of 1967 08:51 the research and preparation was complete. The time had come to 08:57 perform that once unthinkable act, the transplant of a human 09:01 heart from one person to another and because it was all about 09:06 the heart that legendary seat of emotion which the public and 09:10 media persisted in romanticizing there was an intense desire 09:15 among the cardiac surgeons to be at the cutting edge of 09:18 history, to perform the world's first human heart transplant. 09:23 So the race was on to be the first to perform the ultimate 09:29 operation, an operation that depended on the right mix of 09:34 skill character and circumstance The drama of the world's first 09:41 human heart transplant was played out here within the walls 09:46 of Charles Silk theater at Groote Schuur Hospital on the 09:49 3rd of December 1967. Theaters A and B are the original surgery 09:57 theaters used for the first human heart transplant. 10:00 Everything in them is laid out just as it was when the 10:05 pioneering operation took place here 50 years ago. The first 10:10 human heart transplant was one of the greatest moments in 10:15 medical history and was made possible by an extraordinary 10:18 interplay of scientific dedication, human courage and 10:23 generosity and a timely chain of events. Saturday the 2nd of 10:32 December 1967 was a free summer's day in Cape Town. The 10:36 locals were out in force enjoying the pre-Christmas 10:40 bustle. Among them was 25-year- old Denise Darvall. She and her 10:46 family were enjoying a shopping day together preparing for 10:50 Christmas and the festive season They were oblivious of the 10:54 tragedy about to unfold that would claim Denise's life and 10:59 set in motion a chain of events that would change the face of 11:03 open heart surgery forever. On that fateful day Denise Darvall 11:11 and her mother stopped here on main road Salt River to buy a 11:15 a cream cake for their afternoon tea. As they were crossing the 11:19 road right here they were struck by a drunk driver. Both Denise 11:24 and her mother were fatally injured. Shortly after the 11:29 accident which took place just a kilometer from Groote Schuur 11:33 Hospital Ann Washkansky drove past the accident scene on her 11:38 way back from visiting her dying husband in the hospital. She 11:43 was a sensitive woman and averted her gaze from the scene 11:46 of the fatal accident. Little did she realize that within 12 11:51 hours one of the broken bodies lying in the road would give her 11:55 husband a heart and another chance at life. Denise Darvall 12:02 was a gentle and giving young woman. Her tragic and unexpected 12:07 death brought great sorrow to her family. But they showed 12:11 great courage and compassion in donating her heart to save the 12:16 life of another person. Her heart would become the first 12:21 heart selflessly donated to save another person's life and a 12:26 heart which subsequently played a vital role in the advancement 12:30 of medical knowledge. After being declared brain dead, 12:35 Denise Darvall was brought here to theater B, the donor theater, 12:39 shortly after midnight. She was prepared for surgery by Dr. 12:44 Marius Barnard and his team. At 3 a.m. in theater A the 12:49 operation lasted 4-3/4 hours and involved a team of 30 12:54 surgeons, anesthetists, nurses and technicians. At precisely 12:59 6:13 a.m. her heart was carefully sewn into place in 13:03 place in recipient Louis Washkansky's chest by Dr. Chris 13:08 Barnard. Louis Washkansky's new heart began to beat strongly and 13:13 Dr. Chris Barnard turned to his team and said, It's going to 13:17 work. And work it did. Washkansky survived the 13:23 operation. His new heart functioned normally for 18 days. 13:27 However, he succumbed to pneumonia as he was taking 13:31 immunosuppressive drugs. The drugs insured that Washkansky's 13:36 body didn't reject the new heart but sadly weakened his immune 13:41 system and he had no defense against infection. Though the 13:47 first patient with the heart of another human being survived 13:51 only a little more than two weeks, Barnard had passed a 13:56 milestone in a new field of life-extending surgery. This 14:00 first transplant was and remains the most publicized event in 14:05 world medical history. Chris Barnard became a household name 14:11 and was celebrated around the world for his accomplishment. 14:14 Monarchs, presidents and prime ministers honored him. He was 14:19 photogenic and enjoyed the media attention following the 14:23 operations. Dr. Chris Barnard continued to perform heart 14:28 transplants. Another transplant operation was conducted less 14:32 than a month later on the 2nd of January 1968 and the patient, 14:37 Philip Blaiberg, survived for 570 days or 19 months. And then 14:43 Dirk van Zyl who received a new heart by Chris Barnard in 1971 14:48 was the longest lived heart transplant patient surviving 14:52 over 23 years. Throughout his life Chris Barnard championed 14:58 the cause of the poor and the oppressed. He exhibited an 15:02 amazing blend of vision, intelligence and kindness, 15:07 tempered by human frailties. But despite these frailties he 15:11 made the world a better place particularly for those who need 15:16 a new heart. And that's what he'll always be remembered for. 15:20 The good doctor who could give people hope, the one who could 15:25 pull patients back from the brink of death, who give them 15:29 new hearts, that symbol of love and life and who could give them 15:34 their lives back. And in a sense that's what we all need. Now I 15:42 know it may seem hard to believe but that's the reality. When we 15:46 find out the true condition and nature of our hearts we discover 15:51 we all need a new heart, all of us, including you and me. 15:56 When the Bible talks about the human heart, it refers to the 16:01 center of a person's being involving the mind, the emotions 16:06 the reason, the will, the life, the whole being, who we really 16:13 are. And the Bible has a lot to say about the condition and 16:16 nature of our hearts. Notice what it says in Genesis 16:20 chapter 6 and verse 5: 16:34 A way back, soon after creation after sin entered into our world 16:40 people's hearts were focused on evil and as a result they made 16:44 mistakes and did bad things and they did it regularly. It was a 16:49 way of life. Notice what the Bible says in Jeremiah 16:52 chapter 17, verses 9 and 10: 17:13 God says that when he searches our hearts, when he examines our 17:17 hearts, the prognosis isn't good He said that our hearts are 17:22 deceitful above all things. They're diseased and discolored. 17:26 And Jesus emphasizes this too. Notice what he says in Mark 17:30 chapter 7 verses 21 and 22: 17:55 Jesus reminds us that our hearts are deceitful, sick and full of 18:01 sin. Like Louis Washkansky we are suffering from serious and 18:06 incurable heart disease. You might say we're all in need of a 18:11 spiritual heart transplant. And deep down in our hearts we know 18:16 that's true. It doesn't matter whether we're rich or poor, 18:19 respectable school, citizenship, social status and ethnicity are 18:26 inconsequential. We all make mistakes and do bad things and 18:32 we do it regularly. Yes as sinners, all of us need a new 18:38 heart. Now we know that open heart surgery, heart transplant 18:43 surgery is among the most delicate and difficult 18:46 procedures. But for those of us with damaged hearts and in 18:51 desperate need of a spiritual heart transplant our life, 18:55 eternity depends on it. So of course, we want the best and 19:01 most qualified surgeon. And here's the good news. God, the 19:06 great physician is willing and able to give us a new heart. Yes 19:11 he promised us to do so if we will ask him. Here's what God 19:15 says in Ezekiel chapter 36 verses 26 and 27: 19:41 God promises that he will do this decisive, miraculous 19:46 transplant, this heart replacement. If we're going to 19:50 survive our serious spiritual heart condition, the old heart 19:55 has to be taken out and a new heart has to be put in. And we 20:00 can't do that surgery ourselves. But God can. In fact, only God 20:06 can perform this procedure and he's promised to do it for us. 20:10 He loves us and only wants what's best for us. He's done 20:17 everything to make it possible for us to get a new heart. He 20:21 even gave his Son Jesus so that we can get our life back again. 20:26 On the cross Jesus paid the price for our sin so that we 20:31 could be given this new heart. And he promises that if we 20:34 accept him he will give us a new start in life. He will take our 20:39 slate and erase all the mistakes we've made, all the evil and sin 20:44 and replace it with good. He takes our hearts that have been 20:49 hardened by the hurt and sin and evil in the world and he gives 20:54 us new hearts of flesh, hearts that are able to accept his love 20:58 and share it. Yes, God changes us. He transforms us by giving 21:05 us a new heart. He can take a heart that is broken, impure or 21:10 failed and replace it with a heart that is whole, pure and 21:15 purposeful. To have a new heart is to have a new mind, new 21:20 purposes, new motives. So what is the sign of a new heart? 21:26 A changed life. God wants to see you happy and fulfilled and so 21:32 he takes an active role in creating your new heart and 21:37 brings order to the chaos and sadness in our lives. And then 21:42 everything that we have, right thinking and right living, a 21:46 clean slate and a fresh start, new hope and new energy all come 21:52 from God by way of Jesus Christ. Basically, God gives us a heart 21:59 like Christ's. Tara Storch understands this miracle as much 22:05 as anyone can. In the spring of 2010, her 13-year-old daughter 22:10 Taylor lost her life in a skiing accident. What followed for Tara 22:17 and her husband, Todd, was every parent's worst nightmare. 22:20 A funeral, a burial, a flood of questions and tears. They 22:27 decided to donate their daughter's organs to needy 22:30 patients. Few people needed a new heart more than Patricia 22:35 Winters. Her heart had begun to fail five years earlier leaving 22:40 her two weak to do much more than sleep. Taylor's heart gave 22:45 Patricia a fresh start on life. Tara had only one request. 22:50 She wanted to hear the heart of her daughter. She and Todd 22:55 flew to Patricia's hometown to listen to Taylor's heart. The 22:59 two mothers embraced for a long time. Then Patricia offered Tara 23:04 and Todd a stethoscope. When they listened to the healthy 23:08 rhythm, the healthy heart beat, whose heart did they hear. Did 23:13 they not hear the still beating heart of their daughter. It's 23:18 inside a different body, but the heart is the heart of their 23:22 child. When God listens to your heart does he hear the still 23:28 beating heart of his Son. God has ambitious plans for your 23:33 life, now and forever. And those plans involve him giving you a 23:39 new heart, a heart like Christ's If you'd like to follow God's 23:44 plan for your life and experience the peace, joy and 23:48 happiness he has in store for you, why not ask him for a new 23:53 heart. A heart that will be not for 18 days, not for 19 months 23:57 or even 23 years, but a heart that will be for eternity. Why 24:04 not ask him for a new heart right now as we pray? 24:08 Our dear Heavenly Father, we recognize that we've made 24:14 mistakes in our lives and done things that we're not proud of. 24:17 We know that our hearts are damaged and that only you can 24:22 repair them. We are so grateful that you are a loving God and 24:27 that you have a plan for each of our lives. We thank you for your 24:32 promise to give us new hearts that will beat for eternity. We 24:37 commit our lives to you and pray for your continued blessing and 24:41 guidance in our lives and we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. 24:47 If you're battling the challenges of life and would 24:52 like to experience the peace, joy and happiness that a new 24:56 God-given heart can bring, then I'd like to recommend a free 25:00 gift we have for all our viewers today. It's the book Is It 25:06 Easier To Be Saved Or Lost? This book is our give to you and is 25:11 absolutely free. There are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 25:16 So please don't miss this wonderful opportunity to receive 25:21 the gift we have for you today. Here's the information you need: 25:25 Phone or text us at 0436333555 25:32 or visit our website www.tij.tv to request today's free offer 25:39 and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with no 25:42 obligation. So don't delay. Call or text 0436333555 in 25:51 Australia or 0202442042 in New Zealand or visit our website 25:58 www.tij.tv to request today's offer. Write to us at: 26:25 Don't delay, phone or text 0436333555 in Australia or 26:31 0204222042 in New Zealand or visit our website www.tij.tv 26:42 to request today's free offer. Call or text us now. 26:50 If you've enjoyed today's journey to Cape Town and our 26:55 reflections on a new God-given heart, then be sure to join us 26:58 again next week when we will share another of life's 27:02 journeys together and experience another new and thought 27:05 provoking perspective on the peace, insight, understanding 27:10 and hope that only the Bible can give us. The Incredible Journey 27:15 truly is television that changes lives. Until next week remember 27:22 the ultimate destination of life's journey. Now I saw a new 27:26 heaven and a new earth. And God will wipe away every tear from 27:31 their lives. There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor 27:34 crying. There shall be no more pain for the former things have 27:39 passed away. 27:41 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2020-09-23