Dutchman Bert Janssen entered the Guinness Book of Records: He lived 39 years and 252 days with a heart transplant. The previous record belonged to Canadian Harold Sokirk with 34 years and 359 days. It is reported on this website Guinness Book of Records.
At 17, the man was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, which impairs the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body. He was in danger of having a heart attack and underwent a heart transplant in 1984. To do this, Bert had to go to England as transplants were not available in the Netherlands. He was discharged from the hospital three weeks after surgery. He suffered for months from the side effects of the medications, and twice his heart nearly stopped. However, his health later improved.
The patient followed all the recommendations of the doctors: he began to eat right, exercise and regularly visit the cardiologist. The man is now 57 years old, married, and has two children. Throughout his life, he built a house himself, worked in a furniture store, was a carpenter on a yacht and worked as a doorman. It also goes for sports (skating). And in 2017, the man retired on the advice of his doctor.
Doctors emphasized that Bert’s record was due to a healthy lifestyle and regular medical examinations.
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