Britain’s First Heart Transplant

[Stoneleigh Loyalist]

It was 40 years ago this month that Keith Castle became the first patient in this country to receive a  heart transplant operation and it was widely reported that the first thing that he asked when he woke up was how Fulham had got on.
He became a minor celebrity and I well remember him in the Riverside stand being introduced to the Fulham crowd in what was must have been 1980..
He only had another five years life.

[BigbadBillyMcKinley]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-49337327

[AnotherVicHalomLoveChild]

 Very strange, thought about this on Wednesday night @ the Cottage, so many evocative stories & thoughts on returning to CC with brother, son , nephew & friends
Seriously there is no other place in Fulham that inspires this stuff!

You might also say Keith had another 5 years of life following a ground breaking operation - by Dr Christian Barnard?

Great that (as it happened) a Fulham fan received such a benefit from such medical innovation @ the time

I do recall him "coming round" post op & asking the question how Fulham had got on, bless him!

Raised a few laughs from some @ the time but showed the true nature of the FFC fan

So COYW!!

[AnotherVicHalomLoveChild]

Well done BigbadBillyMck

"Herds of Wilderbeast across the Serendgetty" or something like that!

[Dr Know]

Very strange, thought about this on Wednesday night @ the Cottage, so many evocative stories & thoughts on returning to CC with brother, son , nephew & friends
Seriously there is no other place in Fulham that inspires this stuff!

You might also say Keith had another 5 years of life following a ground breaking operation - by Dr Christian Barnard?

Great that (as it happened) a Fulham fan received such a benefit from such medical innovation @ the time

I do recall him "coming round" post op & asking the question how Fulham had got on, bless him!

Raised a few laughs from some @ the time but showed the true nature of the FFC fan

So COYW!!

It wasn't Barnard , he did the worlds first heart transplant in South Africa , 1967 .

[f321ffc]

My wife was school friend with Keith's Daughter.

[I Ronic]

This is a really minor point but Keith's was the first successful heart change op. There had been a couple of unsuccessful ops carried out here before Keith's.
I remember all the fuss they created. Especially the very first ones, carried out in South Africa by Dr Christian Barnard.

[Ronnief]

The first heart transplant in the UK, on 3 May 1968 was performed by surgeon Donald Ross. The recipient, Fred West, 45, survived for 45 days. I dealt with a fatal accident in Armoury Way Wandsworth where a young girl fell off her Moped. I still have vivid memories of that day and think of her family, who at the time had to deal with all the media as well as making the brave decision to allow her heart to be donated. Without donors, heart and other transplants could not take place and I would urge all to sign up to donate should such an tragic event occur. 

[Russianrob]

I teach English here in Russia.One of my student's is a top heart surgeon in Petersburg.l told him this story and pleased to report that this has inspired him to follow Fulham as his English football team.

[Sgt Fulham]

I hope we had won!