Bert Janssen says he has proven that life can be extended through heart transplantation.
Forty years after Bert Janssen was diagnosed with a severe heart condition and given just six months to live, he set a Guinness World Record as the longest-surviving transplant patient.
“I want to be a role model for people,” the Dutchman said. When he was 17, he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood throughout the body.
He said he had proven that it was possible to live a long time with a heart transplant.
In 1984, before the first heart transplant had been performed in the Netherlands, cardiologist Albert Mattert referred the teenager to Harefield Hospital in the UK.
In June of the same year, Jensen was involved in a tragic car accident that resulted in the death of two young men. After his heart was removed, he underwent a transplant.
The life-saving surgery was performed by transplant pioneer Magdi Yacoub.
“I think this day is more important than my birthday,” said Jensen, 57, a married father of two sons and an avid glider pilot.
“I’ve never really seen that far ahead.”
Although he was in good health, his heart medications were causing side effects and he had to slow down in recent years.
“I’m still doing more or less what I want to do, but at a different pace,” he said.
Casper Eurlings, Janssen’s current cardiologist, said the average life expectancy after transplantation for heart disease patients is 16 years.
Guinness World Records officially recognized Jensen’s achievement of surviving 39 years and 100 days after receiving a transplant.
According to Guinness Records, the previous record was 34 years and 359 days set by Canadian Harold Sokyrka in 2021.
Transplant patients “need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay active. That’s what Mr. Jensen did,” Erlings said.
Jacobs later thanked Janssen for his achievements and contributions to global health.
“But it’s me who really should thank him,” Jensen said.
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