First Successful Organ Transplant

"In the fall of 1953, while serving a tour of duty on a Coast Guard vessel in the Great Lakes, Richard Herrick fell ill. The 22–year–old’s kidneys were inexplicably failing. Herrick was told that this condition was incurable and that he had two years to live. By August 1954, he could barely walk" (Murray, "The Fight for Life"). When Richard's twin brother Ronald was discussing Richard's illness with his physician, Dr. Miller, he mentioned the possibility of organ donation, but the doctor said it wouldn't be possible. "Miller started to explain that a transplant wouldn’t work because Richard’s body would reject his brother’s kidney, but the doctor stopped mid–sentence. Richard and Ronald, he suddently remembered, were identical twins" (Murray, "The Fight for Life"). 

Dr. David Miller happened to know about the transplant program at Peter Bent Brigham Hosptial in Boston where Richard would eventually be transferred to. When considering the idea of a transplant with his family, it proved to be a challenge for Ronald Herrick. “ 'I felt a real conflict of emotions. Of course, I wanted to help my brother, but the only operation I’d ever had was an appendectomy, and I hadn’t much liked that.' Ultimately, the decision was settled for Ronald by the undeniable fact that his kidney was his brother’s only hope" (Murray, "The Fight for Life").