Can Heartbreak K*ll You? | #ABtalks with Sir Magdi Yacoub | Chapter 247

I will become a heart surgeon. He said, be quiet now. you are still. young. and you will never become a heart surgeon. You, Doctor. have performed. more than. 30,000 surgeries. I asked, how do you know me? you operated on me. when I was two days old. this is. the reason. I am still alive. Why the heart? when you invent something. you have to teach it to other people. you have to teach it to other people.

We're here on earth. for such a short time. doctor that you gave the world. more than you gave. your family? did the kids say? We know him very well. We know him very well. and we’re proud of him too. We are part of his life. the patient-doctor relationship. is sacred. is sacred. What would the heart. Dr. Magdi. say to Magdi? What would your heart tell you?

What would you like me to call you? Doctor? Professor? Sir? Professor? What do you prefer? I don't mind.

I'm the same person. Call me anything. It doesn't change anything. at all for me. but around. the world. for whatever reason. People refer to me. with "The Prof.". The Prof. I don't know how they came up with it. Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub. by order.

Professor comes first. because academic titles. come before civil titles. then. comes the titles, Professor, Sir. then not your first name. Professor Sir Magdi. not sir Yacoub. and Sir Magdi Yacoub. But out of all of this. I'm still the same person. Right. Call me anything. that won't change anything. You know, in the UAE. we call someone Abu.

the name of your first son is Andrew. I think, right? Yes. Andrew is your first child? Andrew is my first child. So in the UAE. we would call you Abu Andrew. Abu Andrew. Abu Andrew. Always "The son of..". So I am Abu Majed. You are Abu. You are Abu Majed. Abu Majed. and I am Abu Andrew. Abu Andrew. That's nice. But it doesn't change anything. You are still the same person.

Right. My first question. How are you really doing? Thank God. Of course. I am now 90 years old. God bless you. So I don't like traveling. a lot by plane. but I like meeting people. and the best thing. for me is. relating to people. I love people.

I love science. and I love. people, patients. I put them high. So that keeps me happy. and keeps me alive. this is. the reason. I am still alive. Because I love people. and I love science. and scientific discoveries. This is what I live for. when I see people. they give me strength. You know?

Abu Andrew. There's a study. about what you mentioned. at Harvard. There is a study. I think one of the longest studies. throughout history. The study lasted over 70 years. They were measuring. what makes a person live longer. and the number one. like the first indicator. for longevity of life. is people. who have relationships with people. that are not. connected to them.

For instance, you walk into a coffee shop. and say Hi to the waiter. when you're in the bus, you talk to the driver. This type of people. who are social. who try to talk to anyone. and are kind to anyone. live longer. I do believe that. because. there were other studies. that show. that. happiness is the most important thing. in life. and that. people who are unhappy at work.

or argue with people. they get. heart attacks. and not only that, sadness affects the heart too. acutely. Broken Heart Syndrome. the broken heart. It's a true thing. If someone. is very upset. and very sad. You may find his heart enlarged and maybe. twists in its shape. as if it were.

a heart attack. and it isn't. You see the heart. becomes dilated. from below and above. it is called. Takotsubo disease. and you can die because of sadness. but happiness. extends life. This is very important. that people must know. Longevity depends on happiness.

So for me it is. relating to people. Exactly like you said. When I see people. and I can talk to everyone. For example, in my childhood. I was... My father was a doctor. and he used to move around. from a country to another. because the Ministry of Health. would say, we need a surgeon here. So he had to go there.

and there. And that was very hard for me. as a child. I used to go to public schools. So I would make friends at school. for three or four years. and then we would move somewhere else. so when I go somewhere else. I would sit there scared. Who are these people? Why are they looking at me like that? And then. after two years. they become my friends. That taught me a lot.

that I. should love everyone. and they all have to be my friends. and no one. was looking at me. they only didn't know me yet. They're not my enemies. That was what made me. I believe. in humanity. So for me. humanity means. everyone is my friend. and today. when I go to any country in the world.

I have friends there. I have people. that I know. We think alike. and I'm very happy to meet them. Maybe this is very important. for longevity. Happiness. Right. I should actually. call you the King of Hearts. But you... What makes. your heart happy?

First of all, I'm not a king. of anything. I'm just a simple man. very ordinary. I try to do my work. to the highest standard. I'm not a king. or anything. The second thing. that makes me happy. Your heart happy. Is that I see. children and older people. who were very sick. in a terrible condition. and now they're doing great. that gives me.

a huge surge of happiness. I mean. the things. the new procedures that I. invented, for example. I would see that there were children. who were hopeless cases. and then. I did. this procedure for them. or I did a heart transplant for them. and then 35 years later. 35 years. I see them coming in. Hey, how are you? Wow, this is something so beautiful.

and they’re not just. coming alone. with their children. They come with their grandchildren. You were very ill. So for me. that I contributed. and was a factor. that they. lived a happy life. gives me. an unbelievable satisfaction. Doctor, what do you remember most.

from your childhood? The thing you remember most. The thing I remember most. from my childhood. is that I was very quiet. I didn’t speak. I would sit in the back. of the classroom. and then the results would come out. and I would as rank the top student of the class. They’d say, this boy is cheating. So they started checking. and I would get scared. and then. They found out I wasn’t cheating.

So they said, okay. he must have something. in his brain. let’s take him and send him. to a neurologist. and that scared me a lot. Why are you taking him. to a neurologist? "Why don’t you speak?". I told him. There’s nothing wrong. I don’t have anything to say. I listen. I sit and listen while I write. I study. Why do you want me to talk? That scared me a lot. when they took me to.

the neurologist. asking why I didn’t speak. Is it true, Doctor. that. from the age of five. you. intended to become a doctor and a surgeon? Yes. Almost. My father was a doctor. and I really loved. watching what he was doing. so I liked. that whole idea. and then. This story. I’ve told it many times.

so maybe people know it. that. my aunt, my father’s sister. died. at the age of 22. because of a tight valve. so my father. went through a breakdown. He was in a state. where he couldn't live anymore. doesn't want to talk to anybody. I asked him, why are you so unhappy? He told me, because now.

There are. surgeons around the world. who started to open these valves. and your aunt. wouldn't have died. So I asked him, Who are these people? He told me. They are heart surgeons. I asked, where? He said, they started in England and America. and I told him. I will become a heart surgeon. He said, be quiet now.

you are still. young. and you will never become a heart surgeon. So that was a challenge. that made me. want to become. a heart surgeon. and then I looked up. who was the best heart surgeon. in the world. at that time. there was someone called. Mr. Brock. who later became Lord Brock. I went and worked with him. I was a first assistant. This story affected me. when I was young. my aunt’s story.

Then, when I was at Kasr El Ainy. at. the hospital. during my internship. I saw so many children. who had. rheumatic heart disease. and they suffered. so this made me. believe that we must. help these people. and help the whole world. especially. that. till this day. there are.

more than 580 million. people who have. rheumatism. This is in developing countries. but also in developed countries. So. cardiac surgery. brought happiness. and a new life. to many people. and that of course makes me happy. Is it true. Abu Andrew.

that the day you chose medicine. your father told you. it was a wrong choice? And that you were an unorganized person?

Yes, exactly. He told me, you are not organized. and cardiac surgery. requires strong discipline. So I am not organized. meaning that. I don’t put everything. in its proper place. but when I do cardiac surgery. I do it with absolute precision. I am completely focused. on this operation. precisely.

and also because. I teach it to other people. It is very important to me. that. anything I am able to do. They say. They used to say. You have to be an artist. It's like playing music. I said, no. It's not art. It's something you can teach people. because science is that. when you invent something.

you have to teach it to other people. because you won’t stay. We're here on earth. for such a short time. So for something. to have an impact. in the future. and for a long time. You must teach it to others. and to newer generations. And it’s not just that. we used inventions that. people before us invented. so we must invent. something new. for the people after us. especially our children.

and our grandchildren. They must benefit. from science and new inventions. that we create. So that. there becomes something called sustainability. For everything to keep going. in the future. we must teach people. Another beautiful thing is. that there are capable people. in the Arab countries. and all over the world. but you have to give them a chance. and the beautiful thing is. when you give them a chance.

then they take. what you have done. and advance it further. It's a very beautiful thing. that makes me very happy. Some people say no. I have to. Everything I have done, I have to. be the only one to do it. No, that’s a disaster. You must teach people. for progress to take place. Why the heart? The heart. I mean.

since I was young. I have been. thinking about the heart. because the heart is. the center of everything. and it nourishes the brain. it nourishes every. other organ. the muscles. It enables you to walk. and not only that. it connects to all. these things. and it secretes.

hormones. and then it connects through nerves. to the brain. and other organs. to support them. and on top of all of that. It keeps working. with precision. and silently. Something truly noble. that's unbelievable. I mean. and then. the emotions. and poetry. and love and all these things.

So the heart, for me. I love it very much. not only love it. I respect it deeply. and I try to protect it. and this is something I always. like to tell people, that the heart. is very noble. but you must take care of it. don’t keep smoking cigarettes. and mistreat it. because the heart. also. even though it.

works silently and keeps going. it has to. create energy. and act like a pump. but not an ordinary pump. a pump. that is very beautiful. even though today we have. artificial hearts and things like that. However, life. is the best thing. because. it responds very quickly.

to anything in the body. So you must take care of it. because it requires. a lot of blood. to generate energy. This energy, is unbelievable. Also, every part of it. is specialized. for example. the valves. have nerves. and it anticipates events.

What does that mean? Before the blood starts moving. the valve opens. before it. wants to close. the blood hasn’t moved at all. the valve starts to close. so it responds. before events. then. What is the result of this? it makes. the force. in the heart muscle. not get wasted at all.

It stays very strong. Why is this so important? Because it. extends life. and maintains the quality of life. because what we have learned now is that. a longer life. without quality. is not okay. Right. It has no value. it does both of those things. and these are the things. that are very important.

so that. they would. extend life and have a good quality of life. And the new inventions we are making. in the new valve we invented. after 30 years of work. in the clinic. and in the lab. now this new valve. is like magic. it’s tissue-engineered. made in the lab.

it has no cells in it. and it uses. your own stem cells. You don’t put cells into it. when we used to put cells into it at first. they would all be lost. So now. this is something very beautiful. and I want. to present it to humanity. as a huge gift. Because heart diseases. valve diseases in particular.

millions of people. are affected by them. and they die. and it affects their lives. and so on. In developing countries we have. the rheumatic heart disease. we just mentioned. In developed countries. we have degenerative disease. because the older you get. the more the valves. don’t open well. and the valves. have regurgitation in the mitral valve.

and if you don’t replace it. a person’s. life expectancy would decrease. and their quality of life is not good. and then. it does not grow with children. all these things. in the new invention. you can produce this living valve. because it's populated. using stem cells. from the body itself.

and then differentiated. into 27 types. of cells. that must be in the heart. and then. the valve. works as a completely natural valve. So this is something. that makes me. very happy. but we still haven’t delivered it yet. to humans. We did it in the lab. and we conducted in-vivo experiments.

in animal models. in sheep. and proved that. it actually is. a living valve. totally populated. with human cells. and it works. as a natural valve. and the muscle. of the heart improved a lot. naturally. and in-vivo. and even better than normal.

so this is very important. but it needs funding. in millions of pounds. to reach. humans. The first in man. designation as a breakthrough as well. device. and we are working on all of this. but right now it exists. and they're studied a lot. in the lab. and in the research institute.

on this valve matter. tissue-engineered. As I said, any living thing. is superior to anything. artificial. Even airplanes. and all that. for example. the valve. changes. its size and shape. What does that mean? It keeps changing.

in one beat. so this works like. bird wings. A bird, for example. can follow. an incredibly accurate. flight path. An airplane can never do. How does it do that? a lot of research has been done on this. and were published.

It changes the size and shape of the wings. and the direction. every half a second. So that. translates. into accurate. movement. So the movement of the valve. is so accurate. and it changes the shape of the valve. and its direction. in every beat.

several times. So this is something incredibly beautiful. Okay, I have a question. You, Doctor. have performed. more than. 30,000 surgeries. and you’ve succeeded in many. surgeries. But what happens. when the surgery doesn't succeed? When you lose a patient. what happens. to the doctor? Of course. there’s nothing 100% guaranteed.

And it’s wrong. for us. to raise expectations. for people and tell them. Success is 100%. There is no 100%. but. we work. all the time. to get close to 100%. So we reach, for example. 95%. 90%. and if you lose the 5%. or the 2% or whatever.

depending on how complex. and how sick the patient is. Of course this is something. very sad for us. but at that time. what’s very important. is that we. tell the patient’s family. what happened. exactly. and how we tried to help them. and how they. helped the patient as much as they could. and did their duty.

and on our side. We did everything we could. and then. We come together. we meet. and say. There’s no such thing as. to blame people. don’t say, "This isn’t my mistake". "or someone else’s mistake". Guys, all of our concentration. is to prevent this. from happening again. and that we. reach the perfection. So, no blaming. Dont say it’s your fault or someone else's fault.

Who's fault is it? No, I did everything. No, no. Don’t say that you are. excellent. And as I said. I’m not a king. I’m part of a group. of people. that I love very much. and we work as a team. You can’t. clap with one hand, for example. you need two, but you need. more than that. in cardiac surgery. but you have to work.

together. so teamwork. and how we reach. to perfection. is very important. and it also applies. to scientific research. when you discover something. new in the world. in science. You think you’ve reached the summit. some people say, "I reached the summit.". then you look up. and you find the summit. very far away.

You’ve reached. a small hill. It’s very important to stay humble. This teaches us. in science. I always tell the kids. who ask me. How can we succeed? I tell them. succeed by following three things. What are the three things? I tell them, it’s called PPH. The first P. is to have passion. a fierce love.

A passion for the thing. Passion for what you do. This is something you choose. not something I choose for you. But if I chose cardiac surgery. I shall have passion. to wake up in the morning. wanting to go to the hospital. and the second P. Persistence. you don’t have to be a genius. but you have to. keep going. on the same path. and the most important thing in the end.

is humility. PPH. Humility. Humility in science. as I said. and humility in. you can speak to kings. and you can speak to ordinary people as well. because the most important thing in the world. is helping. the poor who don’t have anything. or who can’t do anything. So, humility. is very important. If you start saying. I’m the king of hearts. That’s it then.

Okay. Is there a patient. you could never forget? Like somebody. that crossed your path. but you could never forget them. Of course, I love all my patients. and I consider them. like my children or my grandchildren. so I love them all. I remember a lot, of course. All of them. but equally.

I love them all. and every now and then. I see patients. I never forget any of them. and I remember them again. As I said before. He was a kid. or a girl. and I see them now at the age of 35. and they have children. and they’re living. Oh my God. That’s what makes the difference. For example, I used to travel all the time.

so I could quickly. do surgeries in London. four or five surgeries sometimes. in the same day. then I’d travel to give lectures in America. so I used to take the Concorde. When I arrived once. there wasn’t. security checks and so. and still make it. 15 minutes. before the Concorde took off. so I arrived once. and a man was helping me and running after me.

carrying my bags. I got to. the flight attendant. She looked very beautiful. and she was. 25 years old or so. She greeted me. Hello, hello, Professor Yacoub. I asked, how do you know me? She told me, you. you operated on me. when I was two days old. And now. I’m 22 years old. and that made me so happy.

It gave me. a great happiness. Then the man who was carrying. the bags told me. Well, I wasn’t going to speak. But you also performed an operation on me 10 years ago. and now. I am like an owl. I told him, okay then give me the bags now. Wow, amazing. These are things. that stay on my mind. But they are equal. I love my patients. just like I love.

my children or my grandchildren. And I always say. that. the doctor-patient relationship. the relationship between the patient. and the doctor. is very important. and I call it. sacred. So in this relationship. the patient should know. that he has complete trust. in the doctor.

and the doctor as well. must feel. that he has. complete commitment. to the patient. so this sacred relationship. is very important. It exists in some countries. and it does not exist in others. In some developed countries. I am sorry to say. for example, I worked in America. You find that doctors. in America. and I was an assistant professor.

at the University of Chicago. I used to work with the students. we would sit. all night. trying to save someone. and then when we see him coming. the man came to me and said. I paid 50 dollars. and you are five minutes late. I told him, I do not take those 50 dollars. and we worked day and night. to save your life. and we were waiting.

to see you and we love you very much. This sacred relationship. So he thinks. that he bought. our services. It is not commercial. It is not a supermarket. you go in and. take our services. We give it to you. with extremely strong love. and you must trust us. and we trust you. This commitment. exists very well.

in the National Health system. in England. Of course. the National Health. The health insurance in England. we have to spend a lot on it. the country has to spend a lot on it. but it is very important, the patient-doctor relationship. is better than any. place in the world. that I have worked in. so I really love that. the patient-doctor relationship.

is sacred. I will move to. your personal life. Your wife's name is Marianne. Right? Yes. You've been married. for more than 40 years. No, I got married. No, less than that, 32 years. Total marriage was 32 years?

What did Marianne mean to you? Marianne. She was German. I lost her 10 years ago. but. she devoted herself so much to educating. the children. and she left me children and grandchildren. and to this day. it is as if she is still living with us. Because her effect. even the grandchildren.

who never saw her. the grandchildren. would tell you. What would grandma say? They know. this rigorousness and precision. in life. So Marianne had a. great impact on our lives. to this day. Professor, how did you deal. with the loss of Marianne?

Of course, the grief was intense at first. and then. we felt her presence with us. and we celebrate. her life. and we are happy. that we got to know. a woman like her. who took care of us. and made life for us. That is something very important, of course. There is a point I wanted to say.

about the equity in health care delivery. What does that mean? It means that. treatment. is a right. for every human being. a right of humanity. It's a human right. education too. 80% of the world. do not benefit. from science. and research.

and the things we do here at the. developed world. This makes us think. that we. have to pay attention. to that 80%. in countries that do not have. the means. So for example, I work a lot. in. Chain of Hope. And I work.

on. establishing. new centers. But the Chain of Hope. and the hospital in Aswan. For example. and there is a new hospital too. near the Pyramids. that provides. its services. for free. to the highest standard. for those who cannot afford it. and now we are also working. in Africa. long ago. we used to work.

in Jamaica. and in. Mozambique. and in Africa. and now we are working in. Rwanda. Rwanda is very important for us. because it is in central Africa. and then. people do not have access. to all the things we learned and can do. So we set up a heart center. like the one in Aswan. but bigger.

and like the one in the Pyramids. for the people of. Rwanda. And why is it so important for us? Because it is. in the middle of Africa. and it can serve. East Africa. and West Africa. So this. is of great interest to us. and we collect donations. for it so we can build it. to the highest standard.

like Aswan. or The Cairo Hospital. in the Pyramids region. I really want to visit. the project in Rwanda. You want to visit it? Yes You want to visit it? Yes. Do you want to come with us? Yes, I would love to. because I have heard a lot about that country. I heard the country is beautiful. and stable. so I was thinking of taking the kids. my children, I have two boys. and we go on a trip. Come with us. - I guess - We are going.

Samih Sawiris. Samih is the one who told me. I should sit with you. He takes us with him. and we go. We go several times regularly. and now the center is up. It was built. But we need. We need at least. 20,000,000 more to. start working. and we want to start. by the end of this year.

before. before the end of the year. God willing. If you come with us. I hope you fundraise the 20 million. It would be a great honor. God willing. I would love to. Yes, because we have to come together. and help. the community. There is a lot of suffering. Also, Rwanda. after the genocide. when they killed each other. and terrible things. and that of course makes us very sad. Now it became like.

Manhattan. like New York. or like Singapore. Everything is very clean. and they help each other. and so on. but we must. help them too. Right. It's a big project. It needs all of us to work together. so that we can. provide. this service to humanity. God willing. Like what happened in Aswan.

God willing, this kind of. conversation between you and me. increases awareness. and people become more educated and visit. the website. and there will be support and publicity. for the project. I will go back to you as a person. My show. is very human. and very personal also. So I love. how passionate you are. about your mission. I love it. and I wanted you to. tell everyone. But it’s also important to get to know you.

and your mind and your life. Do you feel, doctor. that you succeeded as a father? Because you. dedicated much of your life to work. Something compromises something. This is a very important question. because. you mentioned Marianne. my wife. She was very honest. If she doesn't like you. She would tell you, I don’t love you.

I would tell, Marianne. Sweetheart, it doesn't work like this. She says, but I’m telling the truth. Do you want me. not to tell the truth? I told her, okay, don't be uspet. She went to my kids. as I told you. we all respect her and love her so much. and she told them, You know your father. You saw he never came. to school. and pick you up. or attend your music classes.

He didn’t come anywhere. You know him. Do you know what. did the kids say? We know him very well. and we’re proud of him too. We are part of his life. So they. the children. they feel. from the father’s side. Yes, I neglected my children. Of course. I didn’t see them, I used to see them. I leave in the morning. at. 06:30 in the morning or 07:00. they would still be asleep except one of them. and he would greet me.

when I come back. they would already be asleep. and she has to put them to bed at 9 o’clock. but. we would see each other during. the holidays. So they know me. and not only that, they also understand why. I am not. there for them. in the same way. I do with my grandkids. What did my kids also say? Absolutely, we know our father.

and we’re proud of what he did. So they think. that they are. part of. the success. of the work I’ve done. but of course it’s very important. that. a person themselves. pays attention. to. their family. and their work. and now. of course, many women work. as surgeons and in great roles. and they also take care.

of the children and take care. of the profession. but to create balance. between the profession. and home life. is very important. and maybe I. have been negligent about it. and I admit that I neglected it. and I apologized to them. So do you feel. doctor that you gave the world. more than you gave. your family? That might be true. But the beautiful thing.

is that they. felt that they are part of it. Praise be to God. that we did it. together. as I said. A teamwork. we gave to the world. and we’re still trying. to give to the world. this makes both. of them and me happy. Right. I have some nice questions. Do you have the red card? They’re fun questions. Okay, doctor. If you had. a dinner table.

a dinner table. and you can choose. three people. from any time in history. from any era. alive or dead. You and three others. Who would be the three with you at the table? Are they. alive now? No, any time. Any era, any time. They all speak the same language. let’s say everyone understands the other. I was asked this question. it’s something like that.

In the early century. Who can I invite? I said. I’d love to. invite. Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi. and I’d invite. Johann Sebastian Bach. The musician.

Who was the third one. I invited? A peacemaker. somebody. who loves peace. For example, Mandela? Exactly. you guessed it correctly.

It’s a good table. You read my mind. Mandela. I invited Mandela too. because I met Mandela. and I was. amazed by. his wisdom. He would say. I saved our children. from feeling guilty. from a bloodbath in Africa. I help people.

and he's humble. in an unbelievable way. and he has. unbelievable wisdom. Mandela. he was the third one, right. If you had. a superpower. what superpower would you like. to have? A superpower. I wish I have more. I don’t have. enough of it. but. If you're saying if. If you could have a superpower. Flight, transportation.

being invisible. being the incredible Hulk. Any superpower. What would you like? to make peace. in the world. and bring everyone. and convince them. to stop the war. and for the whole world to. live together. without war. without war and to love peace. and then they provide.

services for each other. and no one harms anyone. Serving humanity. I put all my superpower. in the service of humanity. and educating them. Education is very important. and both are related. If, doctor. you could teach. every child. in the world. only one lesson.

What do you feel is important to teach them? One lesson? Not two? I’ll give you two by exception. Give me two. Gladly. Go ahead. The first one is ambition. Ambition is very important. and this requires. a vision. and the second lesson. is inquisitiveness. They should think.

and ask questions. You know children, many of them. whenever you tell them something. they ask why. The best question. It's the best question in the world. Why. The best word. These two things. Nice. What’s the best advice. someone ever told you? That you received. The best advice someone. gave me. was.

I learned humility. he told me to be humble. and the best. thing I remember. one of my role models. Of course I have many role models. Someone named. The late Sir Peter Medawar. Who is Sir Peter Medawar?

he won the Noble Prize. for transplantation. so he's the father of transplantation. His father was from Lebanon. Medawar. but. He used to say. he wrote many books and I met him. I couldn't believe it. He's the father of transplantation. in the transplantation societies. He taught me so many things.

and also. his father. married an English woman. before he came from Lebanon. He said. We the Phoenicians. we always sail west. so he married an English woman. and went to Brazil. and Peter himself. was born in Brazil. and returned to England in Oxford. where he worked. and became a professor in two fields. First, in biology.

where he invented transplantation. and philosophy. He was a philosopher. He said things. that were extremely beautiful. For example, he would say. You have to be creative. and do new things. then he defined. creativity. by producing out of nothing. something of beauty.

starting out of nothing. and to create something extremely beautiful. with something of beauty, order. very organized. or significance. significance to whom? to mankind. Oh my goodness! Sir Peter. You taught me so much.

I would go meet him. when he returned. I met him in America. when he used to give lectures there. and when he returned to England. I called him and told him. Sir Peter, can I come see you tomorrow? Yes, come have lunch with me. What is this? I was still very young. a junior doctor. and you are a giant. and you're inviting me to have lunch with you? So I learned from him.

so many things. What does success mean. to you today? The meaning of success. success must satisfy yourself. You define. the criteria that you want. which is whatever. courage is, for example. and to be accountable to yourself.

you are the one who deals with yourself. don’t wait for people to call you a hero. because the same people who call you a hero. might come. and call you. a disaster. and fight you and destroy you. So don’t. think about people too much. you have to be convinced yourself. on the last day of your life. that you did. all of this. and I'm accountable. Did I do. everything well?

What were the things I could have done better? And do I have regrets. or not? Am I disappointed in myself or not? Accountable to yourself. Does that make sense? It makes a lot of sense. You have to be true to yourself. and you have. to not expect. validation. or approval. from outside. because it could flip. and you have to be accountable. Exactly. Nice. What is your advice, Doctor. for every young and junior doctor?

As I said before. Remember the PPH principle. that they. choose themselves. what is. their talent. That comes first. That is the first thing. and then. Choose what you want to do. Then, to pursue it. by having a passion for it. and then also.

Persistence. and then, be humble. Do you believe all people are born good? I do, actually. Even children, when. they are born without being taught. they know what is right. and what is wrong. Karl Popper. the philosopher. in science. said this. that there is a blueprint. we all are born with. even if you never speak to the child.

and teach them nothing. he knows what is right and wrong. Karl Popper used to say. that you. should not teach the child. what is right and wrong. try instead to see and ask him. What is the talent that you have? We need to work together on it. rather than. I will teach you everything. right and wrong. You already know what's right and what's wrong. All religions.

have told us. what is right and wrong. and then this. became ingrained. in children and became genetically. born with us as. Right. What are you afraid of? I'm afraid. that I would be alone in the world. I love people so much. so I get scared. to be left alone. and when you leave me alone. I used to really love.

to have. four hours every day to reflect. and to be alone. but. I love to be with people. so if you leave me alone, I get very scared. I don't want to be alone. I would rather die. We have a beautiful saying. a saying. we always say. We say, paradise. without people. is not worth stepping into. Without people? Is not worth stepping into.

It's not worth stepping into. I totally agree. Paradise, heaven. without people is not worth stepping into. A paradise without people is not a paradise indeed. Why do you do what you do? Why. At your age. May God bless you, prolong your life and grant you health. but until now you still have. even when you speak, you have passion. and your eyes light up. when you talk about some things.

What’s your why now? We know that when you were five. You heard the story. of your aunt who passed away. and maybe that gave you. drive and intention. But now at an age beyond. beyond 90 years. What keeps. the engine driven? What's your why? What's your purpose? What drives me? Yes, till now. that. what I do is important.

and that I must. help people. and to generate more knowledge. and teach more people. and see new things. So that's what keeps me going. is determination. to do more. to help. more people. to train. more people. to generate. to discover. new things.

to help the suffering humanity. This drives me. And how, doctor. would you like people to remember you? How would you like them to remember you? As a person. who loved everyone. And tried to help them. That's how I want to be remembered. Do you. regret that. your dad. didn’t see all your achievements.

and everything you did? He started to see some of it. but he passed away. when he was fifty.. 53? 58. before he turned. 60 years old. But you know that. in Egypt. when you’re 60. they tell you you’re an old man. yet you still have things ahead of you. so he died at that age. He began to see that I was. He saw things. that I got far in.

but he didn’t see me reach. to be. I don’t know. Like what they say. that I am known. all over the world. Does that. make you feel sad that he didn't see all of that? Yes. to some extent, of course. I feel sad that he. would have been happy. of course, to see. that he was wrong. Maybe he didn't say that.

maybe he wasn’t convinced of it. - He wanted to - Push. to push, maybe. It worked. It worked. Right? What is your advice to your children? That they... The three things I said. that they should be humble. that they should have passion. and that they have inquisitiveness. to do more. and determination. Thank God. they are all doing all of that.

and to be an improvement of me. to be better than me. And I'm proud of them. I can see that they all are. better than me. truly. One of them. is a pilot. He does what he wants. one works in. the middle daughter. works in charity. because she wants.

to help the whole world. more than me. I tell her, take a break. No no, we have to help. What would they do? Sweetheart, not that way. We have to do the best to our ability. And the third one. was in. in the Far East and in Africa. and now she is a professor. at Oxford University. in tropical medicine. So I am proud of them. I am very proud.

because they all. are better than me. Last two questions. If I could. take the heart. of the professor. take your heart. and put it outside. What would the heart. Dr. Magdi. say to Magdi? What would it tell him? What would your heart tell you? If it could speak. My heart.

is very noble. It works very hard. to keep me alive. and it tells me, be fair to me. take care of me. Because you. depend on me. You depend on the heart. That’s what it tells me. so I try. to preserve it. The last question. Magdi in one word.

Magdi is a very ordinary person. and sometimes. I object to what they say. You are a saint. I'm not a saint or anything. You are a king. I am not a king or anything. I am a very ordinary person. Trying very hard. to do my job. at the highest level. An ordinary person. So that's me.

Thank you, sir. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you.