It is infinitely better to transplant a heart than to bury it to be devoured by worms.

Barnard became an international superstar overnight and was celebrated around the world for his daring accomplishment. He was promoted to full-time lecturer and Director of Surgical Research at the University of Cape Town. He struggled with arthritis since 1956 when it was diagnosed during his postgraduate work in the US.

Christiaan Neethling Barnard (8 November 1922 – 2 September 2001) was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first successful human-to-human heart transplant.