Transplant Talks

- with Drs. Pedro Catarino and Dominick Megna  @cedarssinai 

What is it like to care for patients with end-stage heart and lung disease - and then watch them get a second chance at life?

In this episode of Transplant Talks, we sit down with Dr. Pedro Catarino, Director of Aortic Surgery  at Cedars-Sinai, and Dr. Dominick Megna, Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation.

We discuss what drew them to transplant surgery, the unique culture and camaraderie of transplant teams, and why many consider transplantation to be among the most rewarding fields in medicine. Drs. Catarino and Megna share their perspectives on caring for patients before and after transplant, pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and defining success not only by survival, but by quality of life.

We also explore advances in donor lung preservation, ex-vivo lung perfusion, minimally invasive and robotic thoracic surgery, and Cedars-Sinai's pioneering work transplanting patients with severe COVID-related lung failure.

Finally, we discuss the future of transplantation, including new approaches to managing the immune system, and reflect on the extraordinary generosity of organ donors and their families, whose gifts make every transplant possible.

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/provider/dominick-megna-308059.html

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/provider/pedro-catarino-915128.html

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/lung/specialties/transplant.html

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/heart/specialties/transplant.html

0:00 Introduction

2:08 What attracted you into this field?

5:19 The patient as priority

7:45 Was there a moment in time that you decided to be a transplant surgeon?

11:19 Both Dr. Catarino and Dr. Megna joined the Cedars-Sinai transplant team in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic

16:48 Pushing the boundaries

22:09 Traditional versus robotic lung surgery

28:53 The purpose of lung transplantation is to improve quality of life

33:28 Expanding the pool of potential donors

34:06 - by being very gentle with how they manage and preserve the lungs prior to transplantation

35:23 - and with a "mini-ICU" for the lungs

36:50 - and by aggressive selection of donor lungs

37:57 The lifestyle of a transplant surgeon

42:55 The future of transplantation

46:05 The donors - "a remarkable act of solidarity with fellow humans"

For more information on organ transplantation:

https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org  ⁨@americantransplant⁩ 

Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/american_transplant_foundation/ https://www.facebook.com/AmericanTransplantFoundation/ https://www.tiktok.com/@americantransplant https://x.com/amertransplant Also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yPv16c6bl9Al4oYs6Iqih?si=0db7c872ef9c42a2 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/transplant-talks/id1775090608

What does it mean to truly live? For Julia Renz, that question has never been abstract. A two-time heart transplant recipient, Julia received her first transplant at just four years old after being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a rare condition affecting roughly 8 in 100,000 infants. Despite the weight of that diagnosis, she spent her childhood doing what kids do: dancing, playing baseball, shooting hoops, and living fully.

But at 17, her body began rejecting her transplanted heart. For four terrifying months, she wore an external defibrillator while waiting for a new heart, one that came when a donor her own age passed away. Sitting with that reality, that her life continues because someone else's ended, is something Julia speaks about with rare honesty and grace.

Now a recent college grad with a triple major in neuroscience, psychology, and biology at CU Boulder, Julia has transformed that complexity into purpose, and she is a passionate voice for transplant awareness. It wasn't always easy to share her story. For a long time, she didn't want her medical history to define her. But a shift in perspective changed everything: her uniqueness isn't a burden to hide, it's a platform to help others.

"I received a gift, and now all I can do is live life to the fullest." 💚

What does it mean to truly live? For Julia Renz, that question has never been abstract. A two-time heart transplant recipient, Julia received her first transplant at just four years old after being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a rare condition affecting roughly 8 in 100,000 infants. Despite the weight of that diagnosis, she spent her childhood doing what kids do: dancing, playing baseball, shooting hoops, and living fully.

But at 17, her body began rejecting her transplanted heart. For four terrifying months, she wore an external defibrillator while waiting for a new heart, one that came when a donor her own age passed away. Sitting with that reality, that her life continues because someone else's ended, is something Julia speaks about with rare honesty and grace.

Now a recent college grad with a triple major in neuroscience, psychology, and biology at CU Boulder, Julia has transformed that complexity into purpose, and she is a passionate voice for transplant awareness. It wasn't always easy to share her story. For a long time, she didn't want her medical history to define her. But a shift in perspective changed everything: her uniqueness isn't a burden to hide, it's a platform to help others.

"I received a gift, and now all I can do is live life to the fullest."

What does it mean to truly live? For Julia Renz, that question has never been abstract. A two-time heart transplant recipient, Julia received her first transplant at just four years old after being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a rare condition affecting roughly 8 in 100,000 infants. Despite the weight of that diagnosis, she spent her childhood doing what kids do: dancing, playing baseball, shooting hoops, and living fully.

But at 17, her body began rejecting her transplanted heart. For four terrifying months, she wore an external defibrillator while waiting for a new heart, one that came when a donor her own age passed away. Sitting with that reality, that her life continues because someone else's ended, is something Julia speaks about with rare honesty and grace.

Now a recent college grad with a triple major in neuroscience, psychology, and biology at CU Boulder, Julia has transformed that complexity into purpose, and she is a passionate voice for transplant awareness. It wasn't always easy to share her story. For a long time, she didn't want her medical history to define her. But a shift in perspective changed everything: her uniqueness isn't a burden to hide, it's a platform to help others.

"I received a gift, and now all I can do is live life to the fullest."

What does it mean to truly live? For Julia Renz, that question has never been abstract. A two-time heart transplant recipient, Julia received her first transplant at just four years old after being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a rare condition affecting roughly 8 in 100,000 infants. Despite the weight of that diagnosis, she spent her childhood doing what kids do: dancing, playing baseball, shooting hoops, and living fully.

But at 17, her body began rejecting her transplanted heart. For four terrifying months, she wore an external defibrillator while waiting for a new heart, one that came when a donor her own age passed away. Sitting with that reality, that her life continues because someone else's ended, is something Julia speaks about with rare honesty and grace.

Now a recent college grad with a triple major in neuroscience, psychology, and biology at CU Boulder, Julia has transformed that complexity into purpose, and she is a passionate voice for transplant awareness. It wasn't always easy to share her story. For a long time, she didn't want her medical history to define her. But a shift in perspective changed everything: her uniqueness isn't a burden to hide, it's a platform to help others.

"I received a gift, and now all I can do is live life to the fullest."

🎙️In this episode, we talk about the documentary Abundant and the idea of what it really means to live from a place of generosity instead of scarcity. 💚

I’m joined by Laura Diaz Moore, a living kidney donor who made a major career shift from law to working as a mountain host in Park City, and Donald Griswold, the director of the film. To make the documentary, they put out a call on social media and heard from nearly 80 people willing to share their stories. From there, they selected participants for the film. None of them are professional actors. These are real people telling their own experiences.

We get into what actually motivates someone to donate to a stranger, and the reactions they often face. There can be a lot of skepticism. People often wonder if there is something wrong or think that the decision comes from a place of trauma or self-interest. The reality is much more nuanced.

Laura shares the moment that led her to donate after seeing a post about a 16-year-old girl in need of a kidney. We also talk about what motivates donation, not just medically but psychologically. As she puts it, “Donating didn’t fill a hole, it expanded the real estate.”

This conversation is about the ripple effects of giving, how one decision can impact far more people than you expect, and why stories like this feel especially relevant right now.

💚If you are interested in sponsoring an episode, reach out to [email protected]

For more information on organ transplantation: https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org  https://www.livingliverdonation.com

Follow us on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/american_transplant_foundation/  https://www.facebook.com/AmericanTransplantFoundation/

https://www.tiktok.com/@americantransplant 

https://x.com/amertransplant 

🎙️At 35, Stell de Kock was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease. Her only symptom at the time was a sore foot.

She has now been on dialysis three times a week for 14 years and has spent 13 years on the transplant waitlist.

Stell is the Managing Director of Transplant Education for Living Legacies (TELL) in South Africa. In this conversation, she shares what it’s like to live long-term on dialysis while leading national advocacy efforts to improve access to transplantation.

We discuss how organ donation works in South Africa, where deceased donation is opt-in and still requires family consent, regardless of the potential donor’s documented wishes. Living donation is significantly underutilized, and only one potential living donor is evaluated and worked up per year. Stell has had four people come forward to donate to her; none were ultimately suitable candidates.

We also talk about how South Africa approaches altruistic living donation differently from the United States, introducing donors and recipients prior to surgery. Living liver donation became available about 15 years ago, but only two hospitals in the country perform the surgery, and only one offers it for pediatric recipients.

Stell shares TELL’s advocacy work, including the “Make It Known” tattoo campaign, Zane the Zunicorn, the Ride Joburg cycling team, and Orgamites — creative efforts aimed at normalizing conversations about organ donation and making people’s wishes clear.

This episode explores the realities of transplant access in South Africa and the work being done to change it. 💚

Public - Tell - Transplant Education for Living Legacies

Andrew Menard is a retired fourth-grade teacher who inherited polycystic kidney disease from his father. After witnessing the physical and emotional toll of dialysis on his dad, Andrew made a deliberate choice: he would begin looking for a living kidney donor before needing dialysis.

Along the way, Andrew received support from many directions. His fourth-grade students and their families became part of the journey through Kids 4 Kidneys, a community-driven effort that helped raise awareness and bring people together around his need for a transplant. With guidance and support from the American Transplant Foundation, many people stepped forward, each playing an important role—even if they were not ultimately able to donate.

Over time, as Andrew’s kidney disease progressed, the path to transplant became increasingly uncertain. When he reached the point of needing a transplant, there was no clear donor available, and Andrew describes that period as emotionally overwhelming - “I was a wreck.”

Then, in an unexpected and moving turn, the mother of one of his students came forward to donate.

In this episode, Andrew reflects on the emotional reality of waiting, the collective effort behind living donation, and the many visible and invisible contributors who made his transplant possible. He also shares how life after transplant has opened new doors, including his involvement with the Transplant Games of America, where he competes in running events and leads Team Colorado. In summer 2026, the Games will be held in Denver, bringing his journey full circle.

This is a story about living donation as a shared endeavor, the power of community, and what it means to carry forward the generosity of so many.

🎙️In this episode of Transplant Talks, living liver donor Maureen Carrig shares the deeply personal story behind her decision to donate. After hearing about the critical need for pediatric liver transplants at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Maureen felt moved to act—and made her decision within just a few days. She describes the nerves of telling people, the weight of choosing something so life-altering, and the quiet certainty that kept her moving forward.

Maureen ended up donating to an adult and was one of the first donors at her center to undergo robotic right lobe donation using the Da Vinci system—resulting in tiny incisions that “look almost like pinpricks,” in stark contrast to the full midline incision co-host Rachel Davis experienced during her own donation. Together, Rachel and Maureen compare their recoveries: the upper back and shoulder pain from laparoscopic gas inflation versus the intense incisional pain of open surgery, and the shared challenge of overwhelming fatigue as their livers regenerated. Early recovery was difficult for both—walking even half a block was initially exhausting.

They discuss the emotional impact of donation, the importance of strong caregivers, and the unexpected ways the experience reshaped their lives. Rachel talks about feeling empowered by what her body could do, eventually running five half-marathons. Maureen reflects on how she has exchanged letters with her recipient, while Rachel has met hers in New Mexico. Both donors say without hesitation that they would do it again.

As Maureen puts it: “I thought I was doing something positive for someone else. I didn’t realize how much it would benefit me as well.”

For more information on organ transplantation:

https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org 

https://www.livingliverdonation.com

Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/american_transplant_foundation/  https://www.facebook.com/AmericanTransplantFoundation/  https://www.tiktok.com/@americantransplant  https://x.com/amertransplant

💚If you are interested in sponsoring an episode, reach out to [email protected] 

🎙️⭐Don't forget to 👍🏻and subscribe!

🚁When flight nurse Dave lifted off for what seemed like a routine helicopter transport, he had no idea it would end in catastrophe. Moments after takeoff, the helicopter crashed—killing the pilot, leaving Dave with burns over 90% of his body, and injuring his partner, who managed to scramble out. Dave was airlifted once again—this time as the patient—to a burn center where doctors gave him a negative 140% chance of survival. After 397 days in the hospital, countless surgeries, dialysis, and the loss of circulation to his limbs, Dave defied every medical prediction. He spent 5½ months in a coma, waking up unable to move or speak—a nightmare come true for both him and his wife, Amanda, who is also a nurse. Amanda was by his side every single day, advocating, hoping, and helping him find strength when he couldn’t see it himself.

Dave’s first words were, “I want to die.” But the next morning, when he realized he could move and speak, he made a choice—to fight. From that moment, he and his wife built a path forward together. For nearly a year, Dave hovered at death’s door, facing every imaginable complication and losing half his body weight. When his kidneys failed, an acquaintance named Matt—“he barely even knew me, just knew my name”—stepped up as a living donor, giving Dave the gift of life once again.

Today, Dave and his wife are powerful advocates for burn survivors, living donation, and helicopter safety, determined that no one else should have to go through what they did. They’ve turned tragedy into purpose, finding meaning and grace in survival itself.

“It helps us heal every time we tell our story.”

“When you recognize you’ve been given a gift—you get to go forward.”

Now back to driving, hiking, and running rivers in an inflatable kayak, Dave continues to redefine what it means to survive—and to truly live.

Also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yPv16c... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

For more information on organ transplantation: https://www.americantransplantfoundat... https://www.livingliverdonation.com

Follow us on social media:   / american_transplant_foundation     / americantransplantfoundation     / americantransplant   https://x.com/amertransplant