The dramatic race to transplant the first human heart spanned two years, three continents and five cities against a backdrop of searing tension, scientific brilliance, ethical controversy, racial strife and emotional turmoil. It culminated in a terrifying moment in the early hours of 3 December 1967 when, in a cramped operating theatre in a Cape Town hospital, Professor Chris Barnard stared into an empty cavity from which he had just removed a heart. He knew that he had only minutes left to make history and save the life of a twenty-five year old woman.
This is the first time Chris Barnard's story has been told. Every Second Counts is both a record of the most pioneering surgery in medical history, and a deep personal story of the Casanova surgeon with film-star looks whose private life was played out on the most public of stages. South African born author Donald McRae is a two-time winner of the William Hill Award for sports writing.
