From New York to Naples, Dr. Lou Ignarro's journey to the Nobel Prize

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - "Only in America could the son of an uneducated carpenter receive the Nobel Prize in Medicine". This is how Dr. Louis Ignarro, Nobel Prize Laureate for his research on Nitric Oxide premises his interview when asked if anyone is his family was a scientist, doctor, a pharmacist or else.On Oct 12, 1998 at noon, while boarding a plane from NY to go to Naples to present at a conference, he receives a call from a friend. The call is shortly after aborted by a demanding flight attendant: "Sir, we need to take off".What was the content of the phone call? Did Dr. Ignarro realize that it would change the rest of his life?Not only, did Dr. Ignarro receive the Nobel prize but his research was also at the base of a drug for erectile dysfunction that eventually, also earned his the nickname of "The Father of Viagra", a nickname that he got accustomed to but one that his Sicilian mother didn't really appreciate.In his 80s, Dr. Ignarro is the testament of a healthy and happy live, sharing his secret but not so secret "recipe" based on science and clearly explained in his publications "Dr. NO - The Discovery that Led to a Nobel Prize and Viagra (where "NO" cleverly stands for Nitric Oxide") and "NO more heart diseases" both available on Amazon.Fun Fact n. 1: Dr. Ignarro is also proud of holding the title of being the only Nobel Prize Laureate with a Model Railroad, a hobby that he shared with his father from the age of 8.Fun fact n. 2: The Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm on December 10th, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death in 1896. Fun Fact: Every December 10th, I celebrate my being awarded the Nobel Prize with a glass of Dom Pérignon Champagne.To learn more about Dr. Ignarro's work and publications: https://www.drignarro.com/