Bert Janssen, a citizen of Netherlands, has made a Guinness World Record as the longest surviving transplant patient for 40 years. The year was 1984 when Bert Janssen came to know that he had a serious heart disease. He was 17 years old. The name of the disease was cardiomyopathy. A disease of the heart muscle that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood around the body.
If a person's heart is not functioning properly at all, then there is no other option left except heart transplant. Even if the transplant is done, everyone wants to know the answer to one question that for how many years can that person live a normal life? Some say 5 years, 10 years while some experts say 16 years. But Bert Janssen, a citizen of Netherlands, has refuted all these claims. Bert Jansen has made the Guinness World Record as the longest surviving transplant patient of 39 years and 100 days.
The year was 1984 when Bert Janssen came to know that he had a serious heart disease. He was only 17 years old. The name of the disease was cardiomyopathy. A disease of the heart muscle that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood around the body. After examining him, the doctor said that Jansen only had 6 months to live, but after 40 years, he is proof that long-term survival is absolutely possible with a heart transplant.
Organ donation from two people gave life to Jansen
Janssen says he wants to be an example for people. When the Dutchman came to know about his disease in 1984, there was not enough technology to perform heart transplant in the Netherlands. Therefore, cardiologist Albert Mattart referred Bert Janssen to Harefield Hospital in England. A few years later a tragic car accident occurred in which two young adults died. Due to the organ donation of both of them, Jansen underwent transplant surgery in June of the same year. The life-saving operation was performed by Magdi Yacob. Janson is very fit but has had to slow down his pace due to the side effects of heart-related medication.
Earlier this person had a world record
Guinness World Records has officially recognized Janssen's achievement of living 39 years and 100 days after a transplant. According to Guinness, the previous record was 34 years and 359 days, which was held in the name of Canadian Harold Sokirka in 2021. Doctors say that transplant patients need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and remain active. This is what Mr. Jansen did because of which he was able to live for so long.
No comments:
Post a Comment