Conversation so far:
Who was the recipient of the heart during the transplant surgery by Christiaan Barnard??
On 3 December 1967, Christiaan Barnard transplanted the heart of accident-victim Denise Darvall into the chest of 54-year-old Louis Washkansky.
Was the transplant for Louis Washkansky performed by Christiaan Barnard successful?
Following the heart transplant performed by Christiaan Barnard, Louis Washkansky regained full consciousness and was able to easily talk with his wife, before dying 18 days later of pneumonia.

Question: How was Barnard chosen to do the transplant?
Self-contained rewrite: How was Christiaan Barnard chosen to do the transplant?