The first kidney transplant was performed in 1954 at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. Dr. Joseph Murray, the pioneering surgeon never dreamt he was making history. In an interview he gave to NPR, Dr. Murray stated that he was intent on saving the life of a very ill 23 year old man, Richard Herrick, and did not realize he was making history. Richard had an identical twin brother( a perfect genetic match), Ronald who was the donor. Ronald was afraid of the untried medical procedure-we didn't know then how the donor would fare long term-but he convinced Richard to go through with it.
Richard lived eight years before succumbing to his original illness(his death was not due to a failure of the transplant). However he did marry in that time and had two children-one of whom is a dialysis nurse today. The donor, Ronald, is 77 years old. In 2004 he was reunited with Dr. Murray, the surgeon who was 85 years old at their meeting which was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the transplant. Ronald felt very privileged to have had the opportunity to help his brother and encourages others to consider kidney donation. He remains close to Richard's widow and his two children and their families.
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