Intelligence Squared

Women’s Prize-winner Rachel Clarke in conversation with Rob Delaney (Part One)

December 21, 2025

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  • The core of Rachel Clarke's book, *The Story of a Heart*, is the profound human connection and altruism demonstrated when Kira's family agreed to organ donation, which saved the life of Max and three others. 
  • The success of organ transplantation relies on an extraordinary chain of serendipitous events and the dedication of hundreds of NHS professionals working together in a crisis. 
  • The historical development of cardiothoracic surgery, particularly the ability to stitch blood vessels, was significantly influenced by the techniques of a world-famous Parisian embroiderer, Madame Lerudier. 

Segments

Podcast Sponsorship and WaterAid Plug
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Intelligence Squared partnered with WaterAid to highlight the global lack of clean water access.
  • Summary: The podcast features a partnership with WaterAid, a charity addressing the lack of clean water globally. A special episode titled ‘Everything Starts With Water’ features an interview with WaterAid’s executive director of international programmes, Amika Godfrey. Godfrey shares stories on how clean water impacts education, family support, and community potential.
Indeed Hiring Advertisement
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(00:01:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Indeed sponsored jobs are 90% more likely to result in a hire than non-sponsored jobs.
  • Summary: Indeed promotes its sponsored jobs feature, claiming they boost visibility to quality candidates. Sponsored jobs are statistically 90% more likely to report a hire compared to non-sponsored listings. Listeners can receive a $75 sponsored job credit by visiting indeed.com/slash intelligence squared.
Introduction to Rachel Clarke and Book
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(00:03:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Dr. Rachel Clarke, Women’s Prize winner, discussed her book The Story of a Heart about a child’s heart transplant.
  • Summary: Producer Mia Sorrenti introduces the event featuring Dr. Rachel Clarke, palliative care doctor and author of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction winner, The Story of a Heart. The book recounts the moving story of a heart transplant where one child’s death saved another’s life. Rob Delaney hosts the conversation, which focuses on compassion, medical innovation, and the NHS.
Origins of The Story of a Heart
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(00:06:26)
  • Key Takeaway: The book originated from reading interconnected newspaper stories about a boy needing a heart transplant and the girl whose heart ultimately saved him.
  • Summary: Clarke first learned about Max, a boy needing a heart transplant, via a newspaper campaign on Twitter. Later, she read that Max received a heart, and subsequently, Kira’s mother reached out to Max’s mother, leading to the families meeting. This meeting, where they listened to Kira’s heart beating in Max’s chest, inspired Clarke to write about the miracle of altruism in transplantation.
Approaching Families and Ethical Care
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(00:09:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Clarke approached the families with an ethical code rooted in her medical practice, promising to discard the manuscript if they wished.
  • Summary: Clarke was nervous approaching Kira’s family but prioritized trust, treating the request with her doctor’s ethical code. She assured both families that the manuscript would be destroyed if they ever changed their minds about participation. The initial meeting with Kira’s family vividly displayed her life through mementos, emphasizing how she lived on through the lives she saved.
Introducing the Children: Kira and Max
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(00:12:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Kira was characterized by extreme kindness and care for others, while Max was hyperactive, mischievous, and obsessed with technology and music.
  • Summary: Kira was described as a kind, caring girl devoted to animals, nicknamed ‘Bobba Loba Ding Dong,’ and brimming with the joy of living. Max, before illness, was hyperactive, played football, and was obsessed with technology and techno music, known for pranking teachers and nurses. Both children shared a vibrant energy for life, despite differing personalities.
Kira’s Fatal Accident Details
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(00:15:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Kira died from serious head injuries sustained in a freak car crash during the summer holidays on a dangerous road in Devon.
  • Summary: Kira was involved in a serious collision with another vehicle while traveling with her mother and younger brother, Bradley. The accident occurred on a road notorious for fatal crashes. She suffered severe head injuries, leading to her being placed on a ventilator.
Siblings’ Loving Response in ICU
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(00:17:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Kira’s older sisters, Caitlin and Keely, ’love-bombed’ their sister in intensive care by playing her favorite music and tending to her, demonstrating profound understanding and love.
  • Summary: Rob Delaney praised Clarke for lovingly rendering the siblings in the book, noting their crucial role. The sisters, aged 11 and 13, immediately set up Kira’s favorite song and painted her nails her favorite color (orange) while she was on life support. Their actions transformed the somber ICU room into a ‘bath of love,’ showing they fully understood the gravity of the situation.
Medical Serendipity in the Accident
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(00:21:46)
  • Key Takeaway: A junior doctor, coincidentally on his motorbike returning from holiday, was able to weave through traffic to perform roadside CPR, keeping Kira’s organs oxygenated.
  • Summary: The transplant’s possibility hinged on a junior doctor, who happened to be on a motorbike, being able to reach the crash site quickly. He organized bystanders to perform roadside CPR, which was critical because Kira’s heart had stopped beating. Without this immediate intervention, her organs would not have been oxygenated, likely preventing Max’s survival.
Sponsorship Break: Shopify and Progressive
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(00:24:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Shopify powers 10% of all US e-commerce, and Progressive offers easy bundling savings for home and auto insurance.
  • Summary: Shopify is highlighted as the commerce platform behind 10% of all e-commerce in the US, offering easy setup for businesses. Progressive Insurance promotes bundling home and auto policies, noting the process takes minutes and can result in significant savings. Both sponsors offer promotional incentives to listeners.
Sponsorship Break: Corona, Ford, Folgers
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(00:27:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Ford Blue Cruise is an available hands-free highway driving feature on select models like the F-150, and Folgers instant coffee allows for quick preparation of iced caramel coffee.
  • Summary: Corona beer is promoted as bringing the ‘La Playa mentality’ anywhere with a squeeze of lime. Ford’s Blue Cruise hands-free driving feature is available on equipped vehicles, requiring users to remain in control. Folgers instant coffee is advertised for its speed in making customized iced coffee drinks.
Historical Innovation: Vessel Stitching
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(00:29:09)
  • Key Takeaway: The Nobel Prize-winning technique for stitching blood vessels was developed by Alexis Carrel, who learned essential secrets from Parisian embroiderer Madame Lerudier.
  • Summary: Operating on the heart was impossible until surgeons could successfully stitch severed blood vessels to prevent fatal bleeding. Alexis Carrel won the Nobel Prize for developing this technique, which required coating silk threads in Vaseline to prevent clotting. Carrel learned crucial techniques regarding fine needles and materials from Madame Lerudier, a world-famous embroiderer.
Book Structure and Writing Process
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(00:32:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Clarke structured the book by weaving a hundred-year medical history timeline alongside the intense, year-long story of Max and the few days of Kira’s final events, using history as ‘respite’ for the reader.
  • Summary: The book structure alternates between Max and Kira’s immediate, urgent story and the broader historical context of medical innovation. Clarke found that stepping into the historical narrative provided necessary emotional respite from the intense, real-time emotional pressure of the transplant story. She learned to embrace uncertainty in writing, contrasting with her structured academic background as a doctor.
Research and Interviewing NHS Staff
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(00:37:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Interviews with NHS staff involved in the case were deeply emotional, as staff were able to process the distress of the event away from their professional duties.
  • Summary: Clarke utilized her prior journalism skills to track down and interview the numerous NHS staff involved in the case. She secured approval from NHS Blood and Transplant before approaching individuals, which facilitated cooperation. Many interviews were highly emotional, allowing healthcare professionals to discuss the profound impact of witnessing such a tragic yet life-saving event.
Sponsorship Break: Verbo, Uniswap, Cisco Duo, Mint Mobile
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(00:41:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Cisco Duo offers end-to-end phishing resistance for logins and devices, while Mint Mobile is offering 50% off unlimited wireless service.
  • Summary: Verbo promotes early booking deals for vacation homes, guaranteeing reserved loungers. The Uniswap wallet allows users to discover, swap, and manage crypto on their phones, leveraging the trusted Uniswap protocol. Cisco Duo protects against phishing by securing every login and device, and Mint Mobile is offering new customers half off their unlimited plan for the first three months.