Hi, I’m Dr. Toby Campbell—a palliative care physician and communication researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For the past twenty years, I’ve studied how doctors and patients navigate tough conversations, especially when facing life-changing decisions. But nothing could have prepared me for one of the most unique and profound discussions in medicine: the request for organ donation.
What makes this conversation so extraordinary? It’s the only time in healthcare where the decision doesn’t directly help the patient but instead gives someone else a second chance at life. These difficult conversations sparked my interest in learning about the nuances of organ donation and the lived experiences of everyone touched by this process. How, where, and when do these discussions happen? How do healthcare professionals prepare for such a massive task, and what language do they use? How do families respond to such requests and make an extremely difficult decision on behalf of their loved ones? Is organ procurement just like any surgery? What do recipients think about organ donors? How do recipients find living donors? And what struggles do they endure before and after receiving an organ?
To explore these questions, I’ve sat down with donor families, transplant surgeons, medical doctors, organ recipients, recovery specialists, and many others who’ve been touched by this journey. Their stories are powerful, surprising, and profoundly moving. I hope you’ll join me as we uncover the heart, the science, and the humanity behind organ donation.
Extraordinary Conversations Ep 4 - Transplant Surgeons
Transplant Surgeons
Dr. Dan McCarthy, David Grant, Dr. Josh Mezrich, Dr. Jacfranz Guiteau, Dr. Nikole Neidlinger
In this gripping episode, we follow the chaotic, emotional journey of organ transplantation inside the operating rooms and the quiet, anxious moments that define the race for a second chance. You’ll hear from the transplant surgeons who rise in the middle of the night, carrying the weight of two lives: the donor they’ll never meet, and the recipient whose future is in their hands. They share the intoxicating highs of a successful surgery and the crushing difficulty of telling a patient, "The organ isn't right," after they've already rushed to the hospital.
This episode pulls back the curtain on the fragile chain of events that must align for a transplant to happen. Discover why these complex surgeries so often occur in the wee hours, what it’s like for a patient to get "the call," and the immense responsibility surgeons feel to be good stewards of a precious, scarce gift. It’s a story of modern miracles built on profound loss, of the "hurry up and wait" agony of the waiting list, and the raw humanity of doctors who laugh, cry, and are forever changed by the work they do.
