Originally published in The Georgia Straight
Knowledge Network’s four-part series Transplant Stories takes audiences into the high-stakes, life-saving world of organ transplants.
Premiering on November 19, the series follows the intimate, urgent journeys of BC patients, their families, and their medical teams striving to give them a second chance at life.
Directed by Sheona McDonald, Transplant Stories offers rare access into Vancouver General and St. Paul’s hospitals, documenting patients like Ben, who urgently awaits new lungs, and Angela, who faces critical heart surgery.
“We all know or love someone who has been touched by the need for or the donation of an organ,” shares executive producer Cathy Schoch in a release, “and we feel privileged to have the opportunity to tell just a few of their stories.”
Be warned: this series is not for the faint of heart. While profoundly moving and powerful, the scenes inside the operating room are graphic, and squeamish viewers may want to brace themselves.
Episode one introduces Powell River’s Brett, a young father on the waitlist for a liver transplant. Diagnosed with a life-limiting liver disease, Brett receives the fateful call that the hospital has a liver for him, and his family rushes to Vancouver—only to discover that the organ isn’t a match. His emotional phone call to his mother, sharing the news, is one of many moments that highlights the toll these so-called “dry runs” take on patients and their loved ones.
Dianne, a 72-year-old awaiting a double lung transplant, also shares her story alongside her husband, Terry, who has driven her over 80 times from Langley to Vancouver for treatment. While struggling with her health, Dianne maintains her sense of humour with hospital staff and shares her wish to celebrate her upcoming 50th wedding anniversary. The episode culminates in the moving scene of Dianne’s breathing tube removal as she takes her first unaided breath with her new lungs. Spoiler: nine weeks post-surgery, she walks independently—no oxygen tank required.
The series also follows Suki, who is in need of a second kidney transplant after his first failed. Suki’s adult daughter recalls how seeing a doctor save her father’s life as a child inspired her own career in medicine.
Another patient, Marcela, awaits a cornea transplant to restore vision in her right eye. With whole eye transplants still impossible, corneal transplants offer some semblance of hope. Marcela’s surgery, which takes under an hour, reveals the incredible possibilities in future transplant care.
Through interviews and poignant scenes, Transplant Stories captures both the intensity and humanity of transplants, illustrating the life-altering impact of organ donors and the healthcare teams working tirelessly to save lives.
“We are grateful,” says Knowledge Network CEO Michelle van Beusekom, “to all who shared their stories.”
Stream Transplant Stories on Tuesdays at 9pm starting November 19 on Knowledge Network. For more information or to register as an organ donor, visit BC Transplant’s website.
Originally published in The Georgia Straight
