A man who underwent a heart transplant in England in the 1980s has become the longest-living recipient.
Bert Janssen, from the Netherlands, was just 17 when he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, which makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood around the body.
His cardiologist arranged for London-based transplant pioneer Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub to perform the operation in June 1984 at Harefield Hospital in the capital.
The procedure was not yet carried out in the Netherlands at the time.
The 57-year-old has now survived 39 years on his donor heart, making him the Guinness World Record holder.
Bert Janssen, from the Netherlands, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at the age of 17, which makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood around the body
Mr Janssen’s cardiologist (pictured with his wife Petra and sons Ivo and Guido) arranged in June 1984 for London-based transplant pioneer Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub to perform the operation at Harefield Hospital in the capital.
The 57-year-old (pictured at Harefield Hospital in June 1984 after the transplant) has now lived with his donor heart for 39 years, surpassing Britain’s previous record of 38 years.
Mr Janssen says: ‘It all happened very quickly. Just a week after arriving in Harefield, two hearts became available following a serious car accident in London.
“I had a match with one of these and the heart was transplanted.”
Mr Janssen said the new heart allowed him to quickly ‘return to a good quality of life’, play tennis and volleyball and secure a full-time job.
He married his wife Petra in 1996, welcomed sons Guido and Ivo in 1996 and 2000 respectively, and is now an avid glider.
Mr Janssen continues: ‘One of my proudest achievements was that I, together with my wife Petra and both of our parents, built our own house brick by brick.’
His operation was the 107th transplant carried out in Harefield.
The first was carried out in 1980 by Sir Magdi and the center has since completed thousands of transplants, including 54 in 2022/2023.
Dr. Fernando Riesgo Gil, consultant cardiologist and head of the heart transplant service at Harefield Hospital, said: ‘It is fantastic news to hear that one of our early Harefield transplant patients continues to live such a full and happy life so long after his transplant. ‘
According to data on the NHS Blood and Transplant website, there were 7,314 adults on the active transplant waiting list in Britain last week, along with 248 patients under the age of 18.
Of the total, about 334 are waiting for hearts.
“Unfortunately, many of these people on the waiting list will die because we have a shortage of organ donors in this country,” Dr. Gil warned.
‘I hope Bert’s story encourages the public to consider registering as an organ donor, to give the gift of life.’
Mr Janssen said he is “still grateful for the incredible gift” his donor gave him and hopes his story will be an inspiration to others.
“I never imagined I would get this far, but I have always looked up to others who had their donor hearts longer than I did,” he said.
“It feels like an honor to have reached this milestone, but what I think is most important is that I have set a benchmark for others. It has now been officially proven that it is possible to get this far with a donor heart.
‘I assume that the marker will go a lot further and I will be happy if others will eventually break my record.’
Steve Syer, from Gloucestershire, had a heart transplant in 1984 when he was in his early 40s. Like Mr Janssen, Mr Syer also suffered from cardiomyopathy and had the procedure carried out by Sir Magdi and his team Harefield Hospital
Mr Janssen has now survived longer with his heart than Britain’s previously longest survivor, who died in August 2022, 38 years after receiving a donor heart.
Steve Syer, from Gloucestershire, had a heart transplant in 1984 when he was in his early 40s.
Like Mr Janssen, Mr Syer also suffered from cardiomyopathy and had the procedure carried out by Sir Magdi and his team at Harefield Hospital.
The heart came from a donor who died in a car accident and Mr. Syer vowed to care for it for the rest of his life, his wife, Chris, said.
He died just after his 80th birthday after a short illness.
Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that causes the walls of the heart chambers to become stretched, thickened, or stiff.
There is no cure for the condition, lifestyle changes such as eating healthier, exercising more and cutting back on alcohol can all help control symptoms.
Other treatments include medications to control blood pressure, surgery to remove part of the thickened heart muscle, and a pacemaker to regulate the heart rhythm.
As a last resort, a heart transplant is recommended.