by Menachem Friedman. Two weeks ago, I sat in a room where people decide who gets another chance at life.

I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

In Venice.
A city known for its beauty… hosting conversations that carry life-and-death weight.

About 150 leaders in transplant medicine from around the world.

Surgeons.
Innovators.
Researchers.

Including Enrico Benedetti Massimo Mangiola Giuliano Testa Lloyd Ratner MD MPH FACS FICS(Hon) Frank J.M.F. Dor, MD PhD FEBS(Hon) FRCS Shimul A. Shah, MD, MHCM Liza Johannesson, MD, PhD Bernie Tobin Charles Miller Dixon Kaufman Mikel Prieto and many others doing this work every single day.

For the first time, Renewal was invited into those conversations.

And even now…

It’s not the innovation that stays with me.

It’s the weight those people carry.

Because every conversation in that room had someone behind it.

A patient waiting.
A family hoping.
A clock that doesn’t slow down.

We talk about transplantation like it’s medicine.

But sitting there, you realize…

It’s people making impossible decisions in real time.

Who moves forward.
Who waits.
What risks are worth taking.
What chances are worth giving.

And then there’s the part that doesn’t show up in those rooms enough…

The person who says yes.

Not a doctor.
Not a researcher.

A regular person who chooses to give a part of themselves… so someone else can live.

That’s the part that stays with you.

Not the statistics.
Not the breakthroughs.

The quiet courage.
The responsibility.
The moments where everything comes down to a single decision.

What struck me most…

Was watching leaders from competing transplant centers openly share what’s working.

No ego.
No guarding information.

Just one goal:

Saving more lives.

That’s what real greatness looks like.

Grateful to Dr. Enrico Benedetti.

And deeply honored that Renewal now has a seat at this table.

Because this isn’t just the future of kidney, liver, and even uterus transplantation.

It’s a reflection of how far one human being is willing to go for another.