On Ischemic Time

As I headed out for a morning run, the surgeon’s advice was still on my mind. “You should write about it,” he said. My favorite route is a loop that cuts through the city and crosses the river twice. I like to walk the first bridge and sprint over the last. I step on the trail. When I learned I’d participate in the organ procurement for a pediatric heart transplant, I did what any medical student would do. I read—first, the recipient’s chart. I...