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Longest-surviving heart transplant recipient, Bert Janssen, recognised by Guinness World Records

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Longest-surviving heart transplant recipient, Bert Janssen, recognised by Guinness World Records

Bert Janssen, the longest-surviving heart transplant patient, has been recognised by Guinness World Records.

“The longest surviving heart transplant patient (male) is Bert Janssen (Netherlands, b. 8 June 1966), who has lived for 39 years and 100 days after receiving his transplant on 6 June 1984, in Harefield, UK as verified on 14 September 2023,” Guinness World Records wrote on its website.

“The surgery was performed by Harefield Hospital (UK) with further care provided by Laurentius Hospital (NL)”.

At the age of 17, Janssen was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a condition that impacts the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body.

His cardiologist in his home country had ties with Harefield Hospital in London and Magdi Yacoub, the doctor who eventually carried out the operation.

The now 57-year-old Janssen reportedly said the new heart allowed him to quickly return to a good quality of life, playing tennis and volleyball and securing a full-time job.

He said he was still grateful for the incredible gift his donor gave him and hopes his story would be an inspiration to others.

“I could never imagine I will come this far, but nevertheless I always look up to others who had their donor heart longer than I had,” he said.

“It feels like an honour to have reached this milestone, but what I think is most important is that I set a benchmark for others.

“It is now officially proved that it is possible to come this far while having a donor heart.

“I assume the marker will yet move quite a bit further and I will be pleased if others will break my record in due course.”

He married his wife Petra in 1996 and welcomed sons Guido and Ivo in 1996 and 2000 respectively.

Fernando Riesgo Gil, consultant cardiologist and lead of the heart transplantation service at Harefield Hospital, said it is fantastic that one of the hospital’s early transplant patients continues to live such a full and happy life so long after his transplant.

“Blood and Transplant website, there were 7,314 adults on the active transplant waiting list in the UK as of last week Feb. 2, 2024, along with 248 patients under the age of 18. Of the total, some 334 are waiting for hearts,” he said.

“Unfortunately, many of these people will die on the waiting list because we have a shortage of organ donors in this country.

“I hope that Bert’s story serves as an encouragement to the public to consider registering as organ donors, to give the gift of life.”

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Nigerian lady Clara Chizoba Kronborg certified as world record holder for longest interviewing marathon

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The Guinness World Records (GWR) has certified Clara Chizoba Kronborg, the Nigerian social media entrepreneur, as the holder of the longest interviewing marathon.

Kronborg broke the world record for the longest interviewing marathon with a time of 55 hours 24 seconds.

The Nigerian lady, who grew up in Onitsha, held the marathon between March 8 to 10 wherein she interviewed 90 people of various nationalities and occupations.

The conversations were centred on how each guest achieved success in their respective field.

Kronborg was permitted a five-minute break for each hour which she could use to take a nap, bath, or change her clothes.

Speaking about her motivations, Clara said she attempted the record because of her passion for success and to “amplify the voices of hardworking women using their stories to inspire others”.

“This record attempt was about bringing together diverse individuals, sharing their inspiring narratives, and forging meaningful connections on a global scale,” she said.

“I am committed to amplifying voices, particularly those of hardworking women, and using their stories to inspire others facing similar challenges.”

Clara revealed that one of her toughest challenges during the exercise was the pain she battled from her monthly flow.

“Even worse, my period started the same day, and I was already having intense menstrual cramps,” she added.

“At some point, I was literally dripping pee and period stain, but I persevered and kept my eyes on the goal. To anyone who ever reads this, once you find your purpose, go after it with everything you’ve got.

“Recalling everything I went through physically, mentally, financially, emotionally – it feels so unreal.

“I am extremely proud of this accomplishment because I know lives have been touched and changed.

“This achievement is dedicated to all those who dare to dream and persist, regardless of the challenges they face.”

In an official statement on Wednesday, the GWR certified Clara as the current world record holder.

The previous record was 37 hours 44 minutes by Rob Oliver (USA) in 2022.

In December, Amuda Mariam completed a 100-hour marathon to set a new record for the longest television talk show.

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10 killed as two military helicopters collide in Malaysia

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Two Malaysian military helicopters collided and crashed during a training session on Tuesday, killing all 10 crew onboard, the country’s rescue agency said.

Footage shared online showed several helicopters flying low in formation over the Lumut naval base, located about 160 kilometres (100 miles) from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The helicopters were participating in a flypast rehearsal ahead of Naval Day celebrations in May.

One chopper was seen clipping the rear rotor of another, causing both to go into a tailspin and crash.

“The two helicopters collided during flight training,” said Suhaimy Mohamad Suhail, senior operations commander from the fire and rescue department, adding that all 10 crew members on board were confirmed dead by medical officers.

The two aircraft involved were a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec and an AgustaWestland AW139, the rescue agency said.

Photos showed the Eurocopter model heavily mangled in the wreckage on the naval base stadium track with rescue personnel surrounding it as well as various debris.

The AgustaWestland helicopter crashed at the naval base’s swimming pool area.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sent his condolences to the families of the victims, saying “the nation mourns the heart-wrenching and soul-wrenching tragedy”.

“I was informed that an immediate investigation will be carried out by the Ministry of Defense, especially TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy), to find the cause of the crash,” he said.

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar also shared condolences.

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar also shared condolences.

“Queen Zarith and I feel very sad over the loss of national heroes in this tragedy,” he said in a social media post.

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Israel launches counterattack on Iran

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Oil prices have surged by nearly 4 percent as Israel launched a missile attack on a target in Iran, according to international media reports.

Explosions were reported in Isfahan province in central Iran, where the country’s nuclear plant is located.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later announced that there was no damage to the plant.

Israel had promised a response to missile and drone attacks by Iran last weekend.

Iran had launched the attacks in response to the April 1 strike that killed its senior security officials at its embassy in Syria apparently carried out by Israel.

A US official told ABC News that Israel carried out a strike inside Iran, confirming reports of the explosion by the Asian country’s media.

There were also reports of blasts in Iraq and southern Syria.

Commercial flights we re-routed as parts of the Iranian airspace were closed.

Iran says it activated its air defence systems.

Israel is not planning further attacks and Iran is not going to retaliate either, according various officials quoted by the media.

Brent crude price is now over $90 per barrel, up from $87 before the strike.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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