Martin Roy First - The Soccer Dad Who Revolutionized Transplant Medicine

10/09/2025 4 min

Listen "Martin Roy First - The Soccer Dad Who Revolutionized Transplant Medicine"

Episode Synopsis

Martin Roy First left apartheid South Africa with two kids, two suitcases, and a thousand dollars. He became a global leader in kidney transplant medicine—authoring 400+ papers, meeting the Pope, and changing lives with his fierce compassion and brilliant mind. But he was also the kind of dad who got red-carded on the sidelines and fed the family dog like royalty. This is the story of a healer, a prankster, a wine connoisseur—and a man who never stopped showing up for the people he loved.

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