There’s a moment after a successful transplant when it can look like the story is over. The failing organ is gone. The donated organ is working. The recipient survived. Eventually, there may be pictures of them smiling. Going home. Returning to work. Celebrating a transplant anniversary. Living again. From the outside, it can look like: They’re fixed. But there’s something important to understand about organ transplantation: A transplant can save your life without ending your medical story. The Body Knows It Isn’t Yours A transplanted organ may be exactly what someone needs to stay alive. But the recipient’s immune system doesn’t understand the story behind it. It doesn’t know about the donor. It doesn’t understand the gift. It doesn’t know that this organ is the reason its owner is still alive. It recognizes something foreign. And its natural response can be to attack and kill it. That is rejection. So transplant recipients need medications that suppress (fool) the immune system and h...
From the Mind of W.A.G. is where faith, identity, creativity and real life collide—stories, reflections and ideas about what shapes us: who we are, what we believe, how we lead, what we remember and what we leave behind. Sometimes thoughtful. Sometimes personal. Occasionally irreverent. Always curious. A place to slow down, look closer and find language for what we feel but don’t always know how to name. Some things are worth thinking about. And talking about.