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64 year-old
Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub has saved thousands of lives and his
achievements in heart surgery, particularly as a pioneer in heart
transplantation, have spanned a lifetime.
Magdi Yacoub was born in Egypt in 1935 and wanted to be a "heart
doctor" ever since he was a small boy. When he was seven, his
21-year-old aunt died of a curable heart condition. From that moment on
Magdi Yacoub’s ambition was to do whatever he could do to alleviate the
pain and misery of people with heart disease.
He has been key to the development of heart surgery and has pioneered new
surgical techniques for congenital heart conditions and has performed more
heart transplants than anyone else in the world. In 1986 he carried out
the first `domino’ operation installing a new heart and lungs into one
patient and then transplanting that heart into another patient in an
adjoining theatre.
Prof Yacoub and his team also give up their free time to help perform
life-saving surgery on children born with serious heart problems in poorer
parts of Africa and Asia where there are no resources.
In Prof Yacoub’s words: "Without doubt, there is no feeling in
the world like seeing a child who was crippled and in pain get back on his
feet, smiling, fit, playing football and going to school…Children are
remarkable, they just spring back to life."
His greatest admirers are the patients that have placed their life in his
hands. In the words of one whose husband had life-saving surgery 14 years
ago. "Professor Yacoub and his team were the best thing that
happened to us. How can you say thank you?"
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