A heart transplant begins with an absence. For a few minutes, a patient has no heart at all, sustained only by machines, waiting for a donor’s gift. Hartford Hospital surgeon Dr. Dina Al Rameni shares what really happens in that moment and beyond, breaking down myths and revealing the truth about organ donation. One decision can save lives and turn loss into hope.

Every organ donor makes a choice that echoes long after they’re gone. For Melissa Reynolds, two such choices, made by two strangers, kept her here to do the work she was born to do.