The First Successful Heart Transplant (1967)

Hello there. My name is Dr. Chris, and I am a special kind of doctor. I am a heart doctor. Do you know that you have a little drum inside your chest? It goes thump-thump-thump all day and all night long, even when you are sleeping. This special drum is called your heart. Your heart is what helps you run super fast in the park, jump super high on a trampoline, and play with all your friends. When your heart-drum is strong and happy, you feel strong and happy, too. I love listening to the thump-thump-thump of a happy heart. It is one of the best sounds in the whole wide world.

One day, I met a friend named Louis. His heart-drum was very, very tired. It didn't go thump-thump-thump in a strong and happy way. It went thump... thump... very slowly and quietly. This made Louis feel sleepy all the time, and he couldn't run or play like he wanted to. I felt very sad for my friend Louis. Then, I had a very big idea. It was a brand new idea that no one had ever done before. What if we could give Louis a new heart? A kind person who didn't need her heart anymore could share it with him. It would be like sharing a special toy to make a friend feel better. My big idea was to help Louis by giving him a new, strong heart so his chest could go thump-thump-thump again.

On a very special day, December 3rd, 1967, my team of helpers and I were ready to help my friend. We worked very carefully to give Louis his new heart. We were quiet and very focused. It was a big, important job. And then, we all listened. We heard it. A new sound from Louis's chest. It was a happy sound. Thump-thump-thump. His new heart was working. It was the most wonderful sound. We all smiled big, big smiles. Our big idea worked, and we knew we could help many more tired hearts feel strong and happy again.