Denise Darvall
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Denise Ann Darvall (1943–3 December 1967) was the donor in the world’s first successful human heart transplant, performed at Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa, by a team of surgeons led by Professor Christiaan Barnard.
Darvall was very seriously injured in a car accident in Observatory, Cape Town. Her mother, who was also involved in the crash, died immediately. Darvall sustained a skull fracture and severe head injuries. She could not stay alive without life support, and was essentially brain dead. At 9 p.m. on the day of the accident, the resuscitation team stopped trying to revive her.
After her father gave his consent, Darvall’s heart was donated to Louis Washkansky. Her kidneys were given to 10-year-old Jonathan van Wyk. Due to the apartheid era, the kidney donation to Van Wyk was controversial because he was coloured, while Denise was white.
