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This Nobel Prize winner's call to his parents has gone viral. But they always thought he could win it.

Nobel Laureate's Viral Phone Call to Parents Who Always Believed in His Win

Nobel Prize winner's call to his parents has gone viral.

Upon receiving the news of his 2023 Nobel Prize victory in Medicine, Dr. Drew Weissman's first reaction was to share the joyous news with his parents. This heartfelt moment, captured on film by Penn Medicine, has since captured attention worldwide.

The Phone Call That Echoed a Parent's Dream

Dr. Weissman, the winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for contributions leading to the breakthrough mRNA vaccines against COVID-19, immediately called his parents. A touching video of the call reveals the jubilance of his parents; Hal, his 91-year-old father greeting him with an excited "Congratulations" while his 90-year-old mother, Adele, getting overwhelmed, playfully admitted she was "ready to fall on the floor."

The Weissman Legacy

Despite a seemingly lofty goal, Weissman's parents always held on to the belief that their son had the potential to secure this monumental achievement. According to Weissman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, his parent's confidence was so strong that during a family trip to Stockholm when Weissman was just five, they asked a guide to "Reserve these two seats for us" in the Nobel auditorium. This memory fondly resurfaces in their conversations from time to time, revealing that the Nobel Prize was always on their minds.

From Engineering to Medicine

Originally aspiring to follow in his father's footsteps and become an engineer, Weissman discovered his passion for biology while in school, prompting a change in course. Having grown up in Lexington, Massachusetts, he graduated from Brandeis University in 1981 then proceeded to earn his M.D. and Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbiology from Boston University in 1987.

The Triumph Born from an mRNA vaccine

Weissman has dedicated nearly three decades of his life to studying RNA at the University of Pennsylvania. The major breakthrough came when he developed an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 that dictates your body how to replicate the virus' spike proteins, allowing your immune system to identify and combat them even before the virus strikes. After witnessing the enormous success of the vaccine, Weissman started nurturing the optimism about the possibility of a Nobel Prize, albeit he thought it might still be five years away.

The Journey from Doubt to Certainty

The notion of winning wasn't immediate. Despite receiving the Nobel Committee's call, initially relayed via his colleague Katalin Karikó with whom he has been working since 1997, both scientists assumed the call was a prank. As Weissman explained, it didn't cross their minds that they could be the laureates until they attended the official web conference confirming their victory.

The Catalyst Behind the Laureate

Weissman pays tribute to his roots for his massive success. He fondly recalls growing up in an environment that fostered "an interest in learning." Throughout his career, Weissman's parents provided immense support that eventually led him to the Nobel Prize. When he managed to break the news to his doting parents, his mother summed up her joy and love for him in a heartfelt remark, "Drew, you are the product of our hearts."

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