The Call That Saves a Life

Not everybody survives the wait for an organ transplant. We spoke to eight Black Americans who received a transplant. Here’s what they said.

By Anissa Durham October 8, 2025

This article is part of “On Borrowed Time” a series by Anissa Durham that examines the people, policies, and systems that hurt or help Black patients in need of an organ transplant. Read part one here.

Every year, thousands of Americans wait for a heart, kidney, or liver that never comes. They die not only because medicine can’t always save them, but also because the longer they wait for a donor, the less likely they are to get a transplant. The system makes them wait until their bodies give out.

About 5,000 people on the transplant list die each year, even as a record 48,000 organs were

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