The Race to Medical Success: A Timeline of 2 December 1967

At 14:45 the Darvall family leaves the confinements of their apartment in the City Bowl. Denise is behind the wheel, humming away to the theme song of the movie Doctor Zhivago, as she just spent the day teaching her brother the tune on the piano. The two ladies, Denise and her mother Myrtle decide that it will only be in good manners to take a cake for tea. They stop at Joseph Coppenberg’s Bakery in Observatory for one of their famous caramel cakes. Denise parks the car on the opposite side of the bakery, which means they have to cross the busy Main Street….

 

It’s just before 15:30 and the 36-year-old salesman and police reservist Frederick Prins is on his way to Rosebank. He is on his way home, where he is supposed to pick up his wife, but decides to rather head back to work, to check if the scheduled delivery has gone out in time. He turns his car around and heads up the busy main road. His decision is a hasty one, which is influenced by a couple of drinks consumed just before his journey home. There’s a truck in front of Prins, which he swiftly bypasses, keeping his foot on the accelerator. He never sees the two Darvall’s cross the road…

It’s around 15:30 and Denise and her mother are attempting to cross the busy Main street, as they are returning from Joseph Coppenberg’s Bakery, as Keith and Edward Darvall are across the street, waiting in Denise’s brand new Ford Anglia.

A great truck obstructed their view, meaning the two ladies couldn’t see the second lane of oncoming traffic. Denny and mother Myrtle don’t see the car of Frederick Prins speeding down Main street.

At around 15:30 they were attempting to cross the street when Frederick’s car struck the two ladies… flinging both women and their cake, across Main road. The ambulance arrives at the accident scene and immediately declares Myrtle Darvall as deceased, but there is still a fighting chance for Denise. She has sustained skull fractures, as well as other head injuries.

She is immediately taken to Groote Schuur hospital’s emergency room where the process of saving her life continues…

 

Two doctors are called in to assess the status of Denise Darvall. Upon detecting no brain movement, the two declare her brain dead at 21:00. At this time, the term “brain dead” has no true legal definition, only requiring two qualified doctors to make this call… This is the first sign that Denise might be a viable candidate for donation.

 

2 December 1967- It’s just past 9 pm and Denise Darvall has just been declared brain dead – a completely new concept for the time not only in South Africa but globally! This creates a big complication as no true definition of ‘brain dead’ is understood by most people. Edward Darvall, Denise’s father, is approached by Chris Barnard and asked whether he would consider donating his daughter’s heart to save an elderly man who has no other hope…

It’s around 15:30 and Denise and her mother are attempting to cross the busy Main street, as they are returning from Joseph Coppenberg’s Bakery, as Keith and Edward Darvall are across the street, waiting in Denise’s brand new Ford Anglia.

 

t’s just after 9 pm and Edward Darvall has been faced with one of the most difficult decisions he’d have to make in his entire life. He is still in shock from witnessing the accident as well as losing his wife and daughter in a matter of minutes. Denise’s heartbeat can still be seen on the heart monitor, making Edward’s decision that much more burdensome… 💔

 

Chris Barnard is heading over to Denise Darvall. He notices how pretty she is, and what a bright future she could have had if not for the fatal accident. He decides to inform his patient, Louis Washkansky about the sudden availability of the donor’s heart. Barnard informs Washkansky again about the possible complications to which Washkansky replies:” I’m a betting man. The odds always change at the last minute, are they moving my way – or against me?”

Chris replies: “ Your way.”

 

Chris Barnard and his brother, Marius, are in the scrub room but he suddenly feels old doubt rising up. He’s so close, but the doubt seeps in and the success suddenly seems impossible to him.

 

He thinks back to the poor dogs he lost during his research. He starts doubting his ability compared to his rivals Norman and Shumway. They are reputable cardiac surgeons who have great success with their trials. He is just an Afrikaner boy from a small poor Karoo town- and now the two Barnard brothers want to attempt to change medical history…

It’s the morning of the third of December 1967, and Chris Barnard is opening up the chest of Louis Washkansky. He looks down to the heart, and remarks the “waste and ruin of a ravaged heart . . . rolling and heaving, one beat after another, like a boxer about to collapse in the ring”. Marius is waiting in theatre B, and at 2:20 am he tells Marius to start cutting. Silently, Denise’s ventilator is switched off…

 

Chris Barnard is standing in front of the open chest of Louis Washkansky. The sounds of the busy operating room drown out as he lifts the damaged heart out. As he stares down into the empty chest, he is overwhelmed with a feeling of loneliness- because for the first time ever, there’s no one who he can ask if he is doing something incorrectly…

 

As Chris Barnard looks down into the empty chest of Louis Washkansky, incredible loneliness creeps over him. He suddenly realizes that for the first time, he realized the importance of this awe-inspiring moment. Near Prof Barnard lies the donor heart, which is perfused by oxygenated blood. The transplant team is only seconds away from making medical history.