Sbigniew Religa, a Polish doctor who pioneered heart transplantation

A photo of Dr. Religa monitoring his patient's needs after a 23-hour heart surgery. His assistant is sleeping in a corner. 1987.
A picture of the same patient 30 years later is shown below. The doctor managed to save his life.
Dr. Religa, a pioneer in heart transplantation in Poland, considered heart surgery impossible until then, but he took the opportunity and the operation was successful.
Dr. Sbigniew Religa
December 16, 1938 – March 8, 2009) was a Polish heart surgeon and
He was a politician.
Career as a doctor

Religa graduated from the Medical University of Warsaw in 1963. From 1966 to 1980 he worked at Spital Wolski in Warsaw, where he qualified in surgery. In 1973 he moved to New York City to train in vascular surgery and in 1975 he trained in cardiac surgery in Detroit. In 1973, he received his Ph.D. In 1981, he received academic recognition equivalent to an Associate Professor or Senior Lecturer. From 1980 to 1984, Religa lectured at the Warsaw Institute of Cardiology. In 1984 he obtained a high chair in cardiac surgery and directed the cardiac surgery clinic in Sabres, and in 1990 he became full professor at the Silesian Medical University in Karloise from 1997 to 1999.
A pioneer in human heart transplantation in Poland, he led the team to prepare the country's first successful heart transplant and in June 1995, he was the first surgeon to implant an artificial valve from material taken from human bodies. In 2004, a team led by Religa won a prestigious Brussels Eureka Award at the World Exhibition of Innovation, Research and Technology for the development of an implantable pump for a pneumatic cardiac support system.
Religa received honorary doctorates from the Medical University of Lviv, the Silesian Medical University of Katowice, and the Medical College of Bialystok.
The famous and first successful transplant surgery in Poland was performed in 1987. The patient was Tedius Zaytkevich, who died in 2017 - 30 years after the operation, outliving the man who gave him a new heart. The operation lasted 23 hours. After the operation, American photographer James Stanfield of National Geographic captured the famous and poignant photograph of Religa monitoring his patient's vitals on outdated medical equipment while one of his colleagues who assisted him during the operation lay asleep in the corner.
A career in politics
Parallel to his work as a doctor, Religa was involved in politics. In 1993 he became a member of the Polish Senate and was re-elected in 2001. Since the restoration of democracy, Religa has been a member of several parties and organizations, with the center and right wing of the Polish political landscape constantly shifting. . In 1993 he founded the Nir-Nir-Collective for Reforms, rallying behind President Lech Vasa and becoming its leader in 1994. In 1995, Religa became the president of the short-lived party "Republicans" (Republicani). Formed by members who refused to back WASA in the 1995 presidential election. However, Religa refused to run for president, and the Republicans disbanded in 1997 when Sage failed to enter the city. In 1997, Polish politics was well committed to playing a significant role in the newly created Conservative People's Party, which became part of the Solidarity electoral campaign. In 2004, Religa joined the establishment of the new center and was elected as Honorary President.
Religa was considered a promising candidate in the 2005 Polish presidential election. During his election campaign, Religa promoted his reputation and image as a successful doctor, polling in January 2005 with over 65% support; In March 2005, with 17%, he came in second in the polls behind Lek Kaczyski (19%), but as the election approached, he continued to lose support among professional politicians, receiving only 6% of the vote in August. On September 2, Religa withdrew from the presidential race in a move that earned him great respect in Polish society and called on his remaining supporters to vote for Donald Tusk from the civic platform.
Resiga was Poland's Minister of Health in the cabinets of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz and Jaroszów Kaczyski.
Religa met his wife, Anna Wajszczuk-Religa, while in the same study group during their second year of medical school. They were married in 1963 in the bride's hometown of Siedles. They had two children, Margorsata (Margaret) and Gresagors (Gregory).
A heavy smoker, Religa died of lung cancer in 2007.
A film called Bogowi (The Gods) was made in 2014 about Religa by Polish film director Lukasz Palkowski, in which Tomasz Kot portrays Religa.
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1987 Dr. Sbigniew Religa monitors his patient's vitals after a 23-hour heart surgery
Dr. Sbigniew Religa on his patient after a 23-hour heart surgery.

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