David Rockefeller was born into one of the richest and most influential families in the world. His grandfather was a dollar billionaire, and his older brothers held high positions in the US government. He himself is famous for his progressive views on the world order, his contribution to business development, and his desire to make this world a better place.
However, there is one more fact from his biography, thanks to which today the whole world knows who Rockefeller David is. A heart transplant, which he once again recently experienced, again riveted close attention to him. Today, David is not only a public person, but also an object of observation of the luminaries of medicine from all over the world. What is so unusual about his story?
A new heart for a millionaire
Back in 1976, there was a car accident that started it all. Rockefeller David also suffered from its consequences. Heart transplantation in those days was a real innovation, many methods were new for their time, and the experience of surgeons could not be compared with that of today.transplantologists. But the direct threat to life forced an urgent decision to be made. And it was accepted in favor of a donor organ transplant operation.
Everything went well. A new heart beat in the millionaire's chest, the patient survived the operation well. Of course, since then he had to regularly undergo a series of examinations and be constantly under the supervision of doctors.
As the years passed, hearts changed…
However, the story didn't end there. Again and again, sensational articles appeared on the front pages of the press, the main figure in which was the same patient - Rockefeller David. The heart transplant, performed in 1976, was the first in a series of similar operations.
The state of he alth again and again forced the millionaire to lie down on the operating table. In total, during his long life, he received 6 heart transplants and kidney transplants twice more.
Record holder
Today, David is one of the richest people on the planet, but according to Forbes, he is not even in the first hundred. In the ranking of the richest, six hundred rich people are ahead of him.
But we can definitely say that David still owns a couple of records. He is the oldest representative of the famous family. And doctors say that the most famous long-liver who survived transplants, and even in such numbers, is David Rockefeller. Six heart transplants - no joke! Such a case today has no analogues in medical practice, but this is due not so much to the good he alth of the rich man, but to his financialopportunities. After all, everyone knows that the transplantation of a donor organ requires huge costs and, what can we hide, connections and influence. And the Rockefeller family has nothing to do with it.
Sixth transplant
"I'll live to be 200!" - jokingly claims David Rockefeller. 6 heart transplants, which he endured well, give him confidence that he will be full of strength for a long time to come. It is worth noting that at 101, David is quite active and cheerful.
He had his last transplant in his 100th year of life. The six-hour operation was carried out by a team of specialists right at his residence. The patient, despite his advanced age, quickly came to his senses and recovered. Already on the second day after the operation, he gave a press conference and received congratulations from relatives and friends.
Longevity tips
To questions about how he managed to live such a long life, David Rockefeller replies that the whole secret is in love and the ability to share. Born into a we althy family, he himself always loved to work, which brought considerable results. But why does a person need we alth if he cannot share it with others, helping those who need it? David sees no point in stinginess and unreasonable thrift. He easily parted with money. The press calls him one of the most famous philanthropists of our time.
And a millionaire also knows how to appreciate simple things, to see the beauty in what surrounds him. He is a devoted friend and faithful family man, which he spoke about more than once in an interview.
Love of life,love for those who are near is the most important thing! - David Rockefeller assures, - Heart transplant operations each time gave me strength, breathed life into me. He believes that the organs of the donors have contributed, helped him to live to the turn of the century. This is where his joke about the 200th anniversary comes from: he seems to be sure that he must also live for those who left young, leaving their heart for transplantation.
Hope of transplantologists
Doctors call the case incredible. After all, the age of the patient is one of the main factors by which the risks before surgery are determined. In this regard, not a famous millionaire appears before science, but an ordinary person - Rockefeller David.
A heart transplant today is considered one of the most complex operations, which sometimes becomes an excessive burden even for patients two or three times his age. The experience of such operations is simply invaluable, because there is a shortage of donor organs and a shortage of specialists in the world. However, the results of new developments give hope that in the near future such operations will be available to ordinary people, and not just members of the most influential families in the world.
