The Strength of My Scars - Dr. Maria Baimas-George
https://strengthofmyscars.com/
🎙️Today’s guest, Dr. Baimas-George, describes her transplant surgery fellowship as the hardest challenge of her career — one that brought her face to face with the full spectrum of organ donation, including the extraordinary commitment of living donors who undergo surgery they don’t medically need. She calls it “controlled mutilation” — a deliberate act of harm to the body, transformed into the gift of life for someone else.
Beyond the operating room, she is equally passionate about correcting myths and misconceptions around organ donation — like sensational claims that registered donors won’t receive full medical care. In reality, donation often brings patients and families profound comfort.
Her story also has a creative twist. During residency, Dr. Baimas-George began writing and illustrating children’s books to help young patients understand their procedures. When publishers weren’t interested, she proved the impact herself with a randomized controlled trial showing that her illustrated books reduced anxiety for kids and caregivers. Since then, she’s authored more than 40 books for children and adults, expanding her mission to tackle one of medicine’s biggest blind spots: health literacy. In the U.S., too many pamphlets and handouts are written at levels patients can’t easily understand — and in transplant, low health literacy leads to worse outcomes.
In this episode, Dr. Baimas-George reflects on the demands of transplant surgery and how creativity can make healthcare clearer and more humane for patients and families. 🎨🖌️⚕️
For more information on organ transplantation: https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org
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