Hot Search
No search results found
- Write an article
- Post discussion
- Create a list
- Upload a video
It took Edward Darvall only 4 minutes to make a decision that would change history. When his wife and daughter were knocked down by a drunk driver in 1967, he had no idea the heart rending decision that he would have to face just a few hours later. While his wife was killed immediately, Denise, his daughter, was rushed to a nearby hospital. There she was declared 'brain dead' - a state that South Africa was one of the first countries to acknowledge as the end of life. But her heart was still healthy and was still beating strong. Edward Darvall was asked to take the unprecedented step of 'donating' his daughter's beating heart. A few months later he spoke in mitigation of sentence against the drunk driver who had killed his wife and daughter - another unprecedented action by a brave bereaved father.