Women created history in the US at UCSF Parnassus in December 2022. An all-women team performed a heart transplant, and it is a big deal even in 2023. This achievement was not even highlighted in the media until the Chronicle talked about hearts in the clinical sense on Valentine’s Day.
This is the first time in the world that an all-women team, beyond racial and communal boundaries, have done such a thing. There was a time when female doctors were looked down upon, considered below their male colleagues and deemed fit to be nurses only, again degrading the work done by the healthcare staff.
However, as the evolution of society continues to happen, no matter how gradually, women in all fields, whether defence, medicine, journalism, sports, art, laws or business, keep proving their worth.
Nowadays, many employers are looking to hire people who fit the criteria for the job rather than looking at the colour of their skin, caste, creed, sex and gender identity; thus paving the pathway for historic moments like this one right here.
An All-Women Team For Heart Transplant
It was not until the surgery was over that Dr Amy Fiedler noted that her team did something ‘pretty crazy.’ She shouted, “We’re all women on the team. We have never been a part of anything like this before.”
The cardiac anesthesiologist, the patient, the perfusionist, the surgeon, the nurses and the fellows, all were female. It was an entire team of eight people. The Chronicle said that if the donor was also female, the count would rise to nine. However, that information remains confidential.
Don't Miss: GG's Shabnam & MI's Sonam, Meet The Youngest Players At The Age of 15
Recommended Video
In an exclusive with the media house, the patient, Fatou Gaye from San Francisco, said she joined the dots when she read the news on social media. She said, “I knew it was me,” and added that it made her so happy to know that a woman was capable of performing such a brilliant task.
The report identified the team — Fiedler, Dr Jaqueline Measer, Dr Laura Scrimgeouer, perfusionist Ashley Risso, Dr Charlene Blake, a contract nurse, and registered nurse Ruzia Coronel.
Might Not Be The First
While we are cheering for these women and others around the globe, it is possibly not correct to claim that this team was the first in the world or even in the US. The database is created for patients and not staff members. However, it is true that this is a first-of-its-kind case at UCSF.
Don't Miss: Harmanpreet Kaur: The Rise Of Indian Women's T20 Captain
What makes us feel elated, is that the United Network of Organ Sharing, a nationwide organisation that works tirelessly to match recipients with organ donors, has been tracing about 88,000 heart transplants in the US since 1988. A spokesperson from the organisation told the Chronicle that it was likely the first all-women team.
The same day these women (women in their 50s took an 8hr scooter ride) created history, the UCSF took to its Twitter account to share that it recorded 20,000 organ transplants that day. They started the program in the 1960s and take pride in performing surgeries ranking among the highest survival rates in the US.
We performed our 20,000th organ transplant! Our transplant program started in the 1960s & has some of the highest patient survival rates in the country. Congrats to our entire transplant team & the patient, who is recovering after receiving a new heart! https://t.co/6QpVcWHYrj
— UCSF Health (@UCSFHospitals) December 14, 2022
More power to women around the world. Stay tuned to HerZindagi for more updates.
