MIT biology professor Alan D. Grossman shares the story of his medical crisis that began with unexpected lightheadedness on campus in 2002 and led to a heart in 2006. The conversation traces the medical details of sarcoidosis, heart failure, immunosuppression, and recovery, while also showing how Alan kept teaching, mentoring, and leading through it all. After listening, you will gain a broader appreciation of resilience, rare disease research, and the life-saving impact of organ donation. Mary Ellen Wiltrout guides the story from diagnosis to transplant to leadership during the pandemic,...

A healthcare worker helped a six-month-old girl get a liver transplant during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, despite the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shutting down the national airspace. Jill Grandas saved the life of now-25-year-old Kareena, who had been dying of liver failure at the time, and they finally met in person for the first time 25 years later.

Dr. Paul Russell, the groundbreaking surgeon who saved countless lives with his pioneering work to make organ transplants safe and effective, has died at 101. Dr. Russell performed his first kidney transplant in 1963, a surgery that in those days was often fatal. Sunday TODAY’s Willie Geist remembers a life well lived.

Mattapan’s George Boakye-Yiadom was a professional basketball player in Finland until a heart condition forced him out of the game, and nearly took his life. Now, four years after a heart transplant, ...