The unexpected story behind the photo shocked the world in 1987 and changed the history of medicine.
Dr. Zbigniew Religa has passed away, but the patient he saved and the photo that captures a historic moment in medicine still lives on.
This photo was taken by American photographer James Stansfield in August 1987. Perhaps he would never have imagined that his work would change the world when it was announced. The historic moment in the photo was also voted by National Geographic as the best photo of 1987.
In the photo is a doctor resting next to a patient’s bed after the world’s first heart transplant surgery and also the surgery that changed medicine and the lives of millions of people later.
However, behind that historical photo is a meaningful story whose main character is Polish doctor Zbigniew Religa.
The photo touched the whole world and contained a meaningful story.
In 1963, Religa graduated from the Medical University of Warsaw. In 1973, he visited New York City to learn about vascular surgery, and in 1975 he trained in cardiac surgery in Detroit.
In 1985, he performed the first heart transplant in Poland. Just two years later, while working as Head of Cardiology in Zabrze, he decided to perform surgery on patient Tadeusz Zitkevits , 61, after he was rejected by many other doctors due to his advanced age. The success rate of the surgery is very low, if not impossible.
After 2 years, when a suitable heart was found, Dr. Regila immediately scheduled surgery. He and his medical team performed the surgery for 23 hours without sleep.
After ending the fight for life, Dr. Religa instead of resting sat silently beside the patient’s bed waiting for signs of life. In the corner of the room, a nurse seemed to be exhausted, sleeping right on the floor between but the medical equipment was scattered. All the moments and emotions of the doctors and nurses were captured by photographer James Stanfield. He said the next day, the patient recovered and felt well again.
Tadeusz Zitkevits, the man who received a heart transplant at the time, kept the photo as an amulet.
Another story that many people still do not know about the difficulties that the talented and ethical doctor had to go through to be able to perform the important heart transplant.
At the time he decided to undergo heart transplant surgery, he was opposed by many people because he believed that the action was to destroy a part of the human body. All other doctors and hospitals are worried that they will lose their license to practice if they continue to operate and fear that it will not be successful.
With no financial backing or resources, the doctor and his team raised their own funds. Overcoming all obstacles, they succeeded and made an unforgettable impression. Dr. Religa showed another side of modern medicine and proved that nothing is impossible.
After this heart transplant, Dr. Regila devoted himself to the medical profession of the country until his death on March 8, 2009 from lung cancer. His funeral was broadcast live on television. Both photographer James and patient Zitkevits Tadeusz were present to witness the moment of separation, holding a photo of the moment in the operating room that day.
By 2006, Mr. Zitkevits Tadeusz was 90 years old and still kept the picture like his amulet. Although the heart of Dr. Zbigniew Religa has stopped beating, the heart of the patient he saved is still healthy until now.