“On Borrowed Time” is a series by Anissa Durham that examines the people, policies, and systems that hurt or help Black patients in need of an organ transplant. She is the health data journalist for Word In Black and reports on healthcare inequities in the Black community.
What Reporting on Organ Transplants Taught Me
A reporter’s notebook on a year spent unpacking the waiting, mistrust, and survival inside the organ donation and transplant system.
Why Black Folks Say ‘No’ to Organ Donation
Mistrust is rooted in lived experience, medical racism, systemic neglect, and a history that still shapes Black patients’ choices.
Organ Donation 101: Here’s What to Know
We asked experts to break down the top 10 questions about how the transplant system works — and why equity matters.
Why Do We Believe Organ Donation Conspiracies?
Organs aren’t “harvested” or “kept on ice.” But countering mistrust and misinformation in the Black community isn’t easy.
He’s a Legendary Transplant Surgeon. At 88, His Work Isn’t Done
Dr. Clive O. Callender fought racism in medicine and built a movement that saved thousands of Black lives.
Is the Patient Black? Check this Box for Yes
For years doctors relied on a race-based medical calculation that kept Black patients from accessing life-saving kidney transplants.
Need an Organ Transplant? These 7 Resources Can Help
These trusted programs offer financial assistance and mental health support for Black people who need an organ transplant.
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.
The Cruelest Kind of Heartbreak
Trump’s tax cuts will make getting a heart transplant even harder for Black patients who already struggle to maintain Medicaid coverage.