The true picture changes the world and medical history 30 years ago

The story behind the photo shocked the world in 1987 and changed the history of medicine.

The doctor Zbigniew Religa left but the patient he saved and the picture of the historical moment of medicine is still alive.

This photo was taken by American photographer James Stansfield in August 1987. Perhaps he will never doubt his achievement has changed the world when published. The historical moment in the photo was also voted by National Geographic as the best photo of 1987.

In the picture is a doctor who is resting on the bedside of a patient after the world's first heart transplant surgery and also a surgery that changes the medicine and life of millions of people later.

However, behind the historical picture is a meaningful story that the main character is Polish doctor Zbigniew Religa.

The picture touched the whole world and contained a meaningful story.

In 1963, Religa finished studying Warsaw Medical University. In 1973, he visited New York City to learn about vascular surgery, and in 1975 he was trained in heart surgery in Detroit.

In 1985, he performed the first heart transplant in Poland. Just two years later, while working as Head of Cardiology at Zabrze, he decided to undergo surgery for 61-year-old patient Tadeusz Zitkevits after he was rejected by many other doctors due to his age. The success rate of surgery is very low, if not impossible.

2 years passed, when finding the right heart for the patient, Dr. Regila immediately scheduled surgery. He and his team of doctors and doctors conducted surgery for 23 hours without sleep.

After finishing the battle for life, Dr. Religa, instead of resting, sat quietly beside the patient's bed to wait for signs of life. In the corner of the room, a nurse seemed to be exhausted, sleeping on the floor between disordered medical equipment. All the moments and emotions of the physicians were recorded by photographer James Stanfield. He said the next day, the patient recovered and felt healthy again.

Tadeusz Zitkevits - the man who had a heart transplant then held the photo as an amulet.

Another story that many people still do not know about the difficulties that a talented and virtuous doctor has to go through to be able to perform an important heart transplant.

At the time of the decision to have a heart transplant surgery, he was opposed by many people who believed that the action was to destroy part of the human body. All other doctors and hospitals are worried that they will be deprived of their license if they continue their surgery and are afraid that they will not succeed.

Without any financial support or resources, doctors and his team have raised their own funds. Overcoming all obstacles, they succeeded and made a mark no one could forget. Dr. Religa has shown another aspect of modern medicine and proves that nothing is impossible.

After this heart transplant, Dr. Regila devoted to the country's medical profession until his death on March 8, 2009 due to illness. His funeral was broadcast live on television. Both photographer James and patient Zitkevits Tadeusz were there 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 same picture as his amulet. Although Dr. Zbigniew Religa's heart has stopped, the heart of the patient he has saved is still healthy.