de starflakes & Shiro, Junho 5, 2022
93

There is something mysterious, dare we say even exotic about the idea of moving an organ from one body to another and making it work. It’s just so thrilling: the blood, the gore, the tense urgency of life and death pushed to the limit. Ethics, morals, supply and demand and the whole “who gets to live” thing… Can't you just feel your heart rate rise as you hear the words organ and transplant? Maybe the word organ is too wide, how about:

Cornea, liver, pancreas, lungs, heart, or perhaps the all mighty brain? We could go on of course, the body does after all have 
78 organs. And even if practically all of them aren’t technically transplantable, has reality ever stopped Dramaland before?

Dramaland really has showered us with lots of interesting portrayals of organs switching owners in more or less intense and/or relatable situations to get that heart rate to rise.

However, I (Shiro) who has experienced a heart transplant can assure you that waiting for a heart is more of a slow paced slightly depressing melo than a thriller.  And seeing this portrayed will more often raise my heartbeat in aggravation (very slowly raise it, since I am missing some nerves that regulate that) than excitement. So, I would like to take this opportunity to share my painfully earned experience and love for dramas and their writing. This is with the help of Starflakes who is (self admittedly) about as far from involved on the concept of organ transplants as one can get. In fact, I (Starflakes) would  say that aside from being a registered donor myself, and the occasional movie or show here and there, I only really began to come in contact with the concept frequently once I started watching K-dramas. The moment I did however, I was very intrigued by them, especially considering the fact that the roles that transplants take in Dramaland are often unique, and quite prominent. As I’ve come to learn there are a wide variety of transplants in dramas, which as Shiro puts it, can be both horrifying and enjoyable.

Together we plan on really digging into Dramaland’s many portrayals of organ transplants, kind of like a fun mixtape of all types of transplants (and trust us, there’s quite a lot). From the realistic portrayals we can relate to, to the way out there transplants we couldn't even imagine. From the ones that tackle morals and ethics, to those that aggravate Shiro, to the (de)humanisation of those involved and more or less everything in between…

Warning: This article includes pictures of scars, surgery and blood


Disclaimers!

1. This editorial is completely based on our memory, past experience, googling skills, and opinions. It is  in no way, to be seen as a moral compass, complete guide, or factual piece.
2. This editorial is a reflection of our viewing patterns and will not cover ALL the portrayals of organ transplants on MDL, but do feel free to add to it in the comment section. ;)  
4. Though we have tried to avoid spoilers, much like doctors cannot guarantee full recovery, we cannot guarantee that the article below does not contain traces of spoilers. So as usual, if you are very sensitive to spoilers, proceed with caution. Spoilers that we feel are large enough will be marked.
5. This article is pretty long and can either be binged as a whole or one chapter at a time.
6. If the text is any shade of red, it has a link in it.
7. Whenever one of these pictures appears, an opinion by that person will follow...

Starflakes 

Shiro 


About organ transplants

Before we dig in, we have looked up/googled – okay, mostly Shiro's memory from what she was told when she was put on the list – some basic information about organ transplants that may or may not be good to know:

Organs that can be donated from a living donor are: Liver (parts of), Kidney, bone marrow, and blood. Blood and marrow are technically not organs, but please just go with it.

Organs and tissues  that can be recycled from a dead donor:    

Source: Honer Network West (You will find more information and answers  about myths  regarding organ transplants there.)

Bonus: Stomach, by a Multivisceral transplant.


Organs that cannot yet be transplanted or are not mentioned above 

Brain, bladder (they get reconstructed instead), and the rest of that list.. 

Gif made from: Source 

Who is eligible to donate an organ? 


You just have to die in the right way! Easy, right?


Laws differ depending on where you are, so you may want to check out what applies for where you live.

Who is eligible to receive an organ? 

It's complicated, and probably differs from country to country but overall, those who need it most and whose body and mind can handle the process. Before Shiro got put on the list she got a full cavity, body, and psychiatric evaluation.

 “It honestly felt like tryouts to some extreme survival show…“ 

(Shiro)

The information above seems to apply to other organs, too, except for the timeline that varies a lot.  Shiro was told the first time around to lose weight before she could be put on the list, because they did not think it was urgent enough. Two months later she was so ill she did not have the energy to eat so the weight had dropped and on the list she went...  2.5 months later she turned in her heart for a functioning one. Another person she knows had just gotten home from the health assessment before they had to turn around for lungs, while others can wait years depending on the organ and urgency.

However, in Dramaland it seems to be those with the most amount of power, or whatever works for the plot!  

Organs In The Spotlight: Leading Roles


Featuring the need, the surgery, and some aftermath: 

A Tale of Thousand Stars

In this drama we meet Tian (Mix Sahaphap Wongratch) who is more or less acting up while waiting for his death. Tian is probably not the most likeable character in the beginning of the drama as he is portrayed as a real bad boy, when he suddenly collapses. Next thing we know he is seen waking up in a hospital bed with very few wires and a recycled heart. And off to the wilderness he goes (not the best environment for a transplantee) to tackle his survivor’s guilt and finish the work the previous owner of the heart was doing (including falling for his crush). The story is filled with excitement and heart fluttering moments almost making the viewers forget the main plot of the heart. 

Where are all the tubes and wires? 

 I really liked how the writers wrote Tian’s character; he was kind of a “rebellious” teen who did not really care about life and not the typical “desperate to find a cure character,” that part was left for others. There were a lot of questionable parts in this drama, both about how he got the heart, as well as talk about the previous owner that did get on my nerves once or twice. However, as a whole I came to understand that this was more about showing survivor’s guilt. As the story progressed, Tian’s character as well as the people around him had great development and in the end they did seem to get to the point that his life is neither worth more or less than anybody else's. And I guess that is all that matters to me.

Full review of the drama

 I haven’t seen A Tale of Thousand Stars, but from what Shiro said, it certainly sounds quite interesting. I don’t think there are a lot of dramas that deal with the immediate aftermath of something as life changing as a heart transplant, so it’s cool to see a drama dedicated towards that.  

Marriage Contract

This is the tale of the man who wanted to buy an organ for his mother from a desperate single mother, so he married her for the sake of “trafficking” her organ. Of course, his plans get messed up since she was kind of already dying and he fell in love with her. However, the viewers did get a lesson about how complicated buying an organ can be. Another drama where a marriage contract for organ harvesting went bad is seen in Watcher (and probably a bunch more) but there it is just a side plot.

I haven’t seen Marriage Contract, but I have seen Watcher, and the idea is honestly a bit unsavory. It certainly does highlight how difficult the process of receiving an organ can be, but you do question the morals of a character who essentially extorts someone for their organ.
While I am not thrilled by the idea of people’s desperation to both buy and sell. I do appreciate them showing it as complicated and not as easy as it is in some other dramas that we mention later on.

Leading while living with a recycled Organ

You Are My Spring

This is a drama about a psychologist who falls in love with his neighbour but does not dare to act upon it because he thinks his heart gives him a due date. He is therefore living his life without committing to her or anybody out of fear to leave them behind. There is also a stalker, a murder, some kind of mystery, a pizza parlour owner, a celebrity ex-wife, and a bunch of pets, as well as a lot of really good one-liners. But the main point seems to be boy meets girl, yet cannot commit because he will soon die. 

This drama had such promise but in the end, it is the drama that makes my blood boil the most, not out of frustration but out of disappointment. They finally show a transplantee as a competent human being they had to ruin it with so much misinformation that I could not see anything else. And the survival rate may have been 50% after a decade in the beginning, but A LOT has changed since then as it depends on the recipients underling conditions, age, how good they are at taking their meds... This guy with his lifestyle would probably be able to live forever... ok not forever but definitely more than 10 years... or wait he does take suspiciously few meds? however the survival rate in Korea for recipients 1992-2012 was 74,8. By the time that guy got his it should have risen quite a bit... as the survival rate is constantly rising.

Full review of the drama  

When the lead is in need

Just Between Lovers

This  is another great drama dealing with survivor's guilt, this time not from receiving an organ, but rather from a mall collapsing and then living on to deal with the consequences. One of such consequences seems to be liver damage of the male lead: Lee Kang Doo (Lee Jun Ho lives untreated as his condition escalates to the point of needing a transplant. The drama as a whole has romance, friendship, corruption, and amazing representation of all kinds of people in a variety of touching situations. It shows the long-lasting effect of trauma, and also shows people as more than just survivors, in need, or rich, but as complex human beings with a range of capabilities, dreams, and whatnot. The romance is also superb.

I loved it, I loved it, I loved it, in this drama the need of a liver was just another part of life like any other illness and that can affect a person. 10 stars from me!
I could go on for hours about this drama in general, but the use of the liver transplantation is definitely a sweet moment in the drama. As Shiro mentions, the need of the liver for the male lead is just another part of life. Yet it also offers our ML a moment of kindness in his life that has been full of hardships. Likewise, it seems to teach him to treat his body better, and it shows the audience why transplants are important.

Saying Goodbye

This is a sweet little Rom-Com drama about two very close friends Rickey (Seth Fedelin and Elise (Andrea Brillantes) who seem to keep missing the opportunity to become lovers. Rickey is an aspiring pastry chef who has been living a pretty “normal” life for the most part while having a weak heart, a condition that is barely noticeable for those who do not know about it. However at this point in time it is clear that his condition is rapidly getting worse and the only way for him to live on is by a change of heart, literally, as Rickey first rejects the idea of going through a heart transplant. In this drama we get to see the monetary issue of being able to afford to travel abroad to receive treatment. Rickey comes from a pretty well-off family, but the money is still an issue as the family is afraid they may not be able to raise the money in time for Rickey to get a heart. 

I like how normal and down to earth Rickey is portrayed – no different than any other Rom-com male lead – and how the heart transplant does not take over the rom-com part of the plot.

I also like how they dare to show the monetary issue as an issue. When Rickey was informed of the need for a heart transplant, he just said “no thank you” and left it at that. I was surprised over how calm and seemingly accepting the people around him were about it. While I could completely understand his sentiments and loved how they showed that it is not a given that a receiver wants to receive an organ. I was surprised that the doctor and parents did not react stronger and about the way the doctor talked about organ transplants. It was very different from the way my doctors talked about it, but it also helped me understand more about just how much the monetary issue is for those living in countries where this type of life vital  treatment is not highly subsidised or accessible as it is where I live.

However, the drama does include a lot of misinformation about both criteria, life expectancy, and planning ahead/finding a suitable heart and that bothered me a lot. This could be partly due to a very low transplant rate in the Philippines (see statistics at the bottom of this article). So the information that was acceptable to me to may just not be the same or available there, but this is just me guessing.

Full review of the drama 
It definitely is interesting to see a character who rejects a transplant on a monetary basis. We see this kind of topic a lot (especially in medical dramas) with characters refusing treatment or hiding their problems because they can’t afford it. But a transplant is something you don’t often see addressed like this.

Organs on the side

While the main plot could be anything from a rom-com to a thriller.

Crazy Love 

There for the thrills

By far the most common use of the organ transplant in Dramaland must be as a short side plot or plot twist in thrillers, just there to add shock value and make sure the viewers understand that the villains are just that much sinister. Common plots are things like locking up people to harvest organs, illegal organ farms, or raising children to be nothing more than organ donors. This can be seen in several great dramas and movies such as: Taxi DriverKill It, Squid Game, Sleepless Society: Insomnia, The Man from Nowhere, and many many more.

I love the thrills. I will admit that, but I do hope it does not affect people's will to donate their organs and  to have faith in the networks and donation systems that are set up to make sure only people who do not need their organs (happen to die in the right way) or want to donate them of their own free will donate their organs to those who truly need them, and not only for those with the biggest wallets.

Full review of:
  Squid Game and Sleepless Society: Insomnia.
Totally agree with Shiro that the use of black-market organ donation (let’s say organ trafficking), can be both thrilling but also a bit worrying. Luckily, since those who typically participate in getting organs through illegal means are the bad guys in the show, I think it helps give a negative connotation to this type of organ donation. Hopefully it helps promote the fact that as Shiro said, organ donation should be of free will and there should be equality among recipients - the opposite of the shady dealings these villains get up too.


Another type of thrills... 

In Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, a drama about two athletes who fall in love, things are going just a little bit too smoothly when Bok Joo’s father (Ahn Kil Kang) collapses, after showing us that (missing) dialysis was part of his day to day life. He now finds himself in need of a kidney, although there is no urgency in this matter. However, the time for the kidney transplant collides with Bok Joo's big tournament. Giving this show some much needed misunderstanding and drama between all its fluff. This by giving the son-in-law-to-be (Nam Joo Hyuk) a chance to shine for Bok Joo's father but keep a secret from Bok Joo  (Lee Sung Kyung) who becomes suspicious, very suspicious. 

Such a wonderful drama in so many different ways. It is nice to see the transplant in a very non-dramatic way. And I like how it happened to a supporting character, as we often only see this with leads in shows. But it helps show that anyone at any age may need a transplant, not just young twenty-somethings.I love this drama, and this was the icing on the cake, having the transplant portrayed so naturally, without too much drama and again not confining the character getting it in to just being a patient, this even though he was a supporting character and could very well have become just an organ recipient. I agree with Starflakes about them showing a person who is over 20 and not evil receiving a transplant. Do you want to hear a secret? Most people who receive transplants are above the age of 40, maybe even passed the age of 50, at the age of 31 when I switched mine I was the second youngest person in the ward. 

Time for a little break before we introduce:

Post-Transplant and life expectancy among transplantees: Shiro vs Dramaland, Medicals, Bleeding Hearts, Cellular Memory, J dramas and Upcoming shows. 

So here is Jung Hae In playing with puppies to fill your hearts with fluff and joy! 

Source

Post-Heart Transplant and life expectancy among transplantees: Shiro vs Dramaland.  

While some dramas seem to teach you otherwise, realistically only those who receive stem cells can get off the hook, at some point of their life, when it comes to the lifelong contract after receiving an organ. A contract that entails taking immunosuppressants, and such lovely checkups like biopsies, x-rays, blood work, stress tests… and whatever doctors find relevant to check up on will be done regularly from the day you get the organ till the day you die. At least here, but of course this may differ from person to person, hospital to hospital, country to country, wallet to wallet... It's a contract not really enforced by law but by your own body... scary but true. 

Waking up

This is of course highly individual but waking up from receiving a heart may sound like all fun and games but I am not going to lie I wanted to die... As I woke up after I received my heart, I was filled with tubes, wires  (external pacemaker to the heart for the first month), and an obscene amount of substances there to make sure the heart was accepted.  I could feel the rays of sunlight pierce thru my body like nails… as the first week or so was so much pain, I felt so nauseous and was sensitive to everything that I personally wanted to give it back. Now that would have made some great drama, why not show that?  Should we name it Returning a Heart... or A Thousand Needle Light... 

In the hospital ward

About 9 days later some of the side effects subsided a bit, and the greenish goo that came out of my bowel had turned brown… Still nothing stable but at least the green was gone. I could actually eat food without feeling like it was going to kill me, and managed to take a glimpse at my phone. I found myself all energised (mostly high because of the meds, and lack of sleep). So I could run in the corridors, dance with my drip stand… Heck I even danced with a drip stand while receiving a blood transfusion a few weeks later.  The recovery process (perfectly normal) goes in waves; a few litres of fluids in one's lungs and a low blood cell count are apparently just some of the common complications that are accompanied to the transplant. My neighbour in the ward had fluids around his heart, so he had it worse.  

But still, dancing with a bag of blood while having lots and lots of  fluids trapped in one's lungs would definitely add some glitter to a drama, don't you think? I have also used a drip stand as a skateboard, dance partner (they really do make for great dance partners), hanger, and have even displayed art on it. Most hospital corridors can be pretty glossy, so socks can easily be used to slide down long empty hospital corridors at night. So if you need any hacks on making hospital stays a little bit more fun feel free to ask, I have probably tried them all as I have been in and out of hospitals since I was a kid. I understand that not all patients have as much fun as I do, but wouldn’t it be nice to see that side of being a receiver too, you know, a  human with wishes, desires, and interests other than receiving a heart?

Side note: I have been told time and time again about how lucky I was and how smoothly my recovery went. When asked if I was  grateful it all went so smoothly, my reply would be: are you grateful you were born with a functioning heart?  Yes I actually said that to my doctor once... I also said no when asked if I wanted a heart transplant, as I asked if they had any other options... They said no and well we all know how that ended. 

That said I am in no way telling people who do not need a heart transplant to be grateful for not needing one, no matter who you are I am sure you have your own  issues, and things you would rather not have wanted to experience but have had to. As I, too, would like to be able to take my life  (a life that I am well aware of would have ended long ago if not for others' help) for granted, I would like to ask of you to do the same with yours. 

I am very much aware about the privilege I have for being able to get the care I need. However, it is not like I had the choice whether or not I wanted to get this gene in the first place: 

Oh wouldn't it be fun to experience a progressive heart disease... Said no one ever (I hope).

Surviving this took a lot of work from a lot of people and waaay more strength than I had. It is not a process I would wish on anyone. Therefore I prefer to see organ transplants as making the best out of a pretty s*** situation instead, a situation I would more than gladly have avoided if given other choices.  However, had I not been given this experience, Starflakes would have been left on her own to write this article.
 

The Spring Day of My Life

If not for science, good access to health care, and people reviving me I would not have passed the age of 12... But I do want to tell you and others: "Someone else" as mentioned above did not really need their heart anymore, and probably saved another 7 lives or so alongside mine. So by not burying/burning those precious organs and recycling them, the organs get to keep on doing what they do best. If not for the up to 8 lives, will someone think of the orphaned organs? Organs without bodies.

Back to the things that are included in post heart-transplant treatment: 

First year included no less than 13 biopsies through the neck, where they took a little piece of my heart. In my case to the sound of Dusty Springfield’s Take Another Piece of My Heart. Yes, I would always play that song when they took it. Here is the actual list used: "Biopsi" heart themed songs + the staff's favorite music. 

I have yet to see a character in Dramaland do any of these… Have you? 

Scars!

A heart transplant does leave several scars (both physical and psychological). If we are lucky, in Dramaland we may get to see a small scar way down a person's chest and closer to the belly, I assume so that the person will be able to wear button up shirts without having to show a scar. However, and this may come as a shocker, a heart transplant is not a peephole surgery. They do actually open up the whole chest and that does leave a pretty cool scar. Mine is about 15cm long, and it is accompanied by two usb looking ports.

This shot of Tian's scar from A Tale of Thousand Stars is actually not that bad, it's a bit low and missing the USB-ports, although it did magically disappear for this shot. Other than that they do acknowledge that it was not done by a peephole. Young Do (Kim Dong Wook)  spends most of You Are My Spring wearing buttoned up or  turtle neck shirts but we did manage to get a screenshot with some scarless cleavage 

*1st 3 pictures are from You Are My  Spring, the rest from A Tale of Thousand Stars


Meds!

A Tale of Thousand Stars

We take lots and lots of meds, the first year is brutal with the amount of meds. After the first year, the basic starter pack in Sweden (or at least me) for a heart transplant includes: about two types of immunosuppressants to be taken twice a day, anti cholesterol, blood thinners (very light ones), and meds that protect the stomach from all the other meds.

If meds are present, they are often shown taking one pill and not the fistful of pills I am used to taking. 

Shiro's Meds 

A Tale of Thousand Stars

The amount of meds can easily collide with other meds so all meds prescription, traditional or what not, must be checked with the doctors. The most common NO, NO! is ibuprofen, I think it is for its effect on the stomach.  


Food restrictions!

A Tale of Thousand Stars

I have only seen healthy foods mentioned in Dramaland… Could be different approaches from different medical staff or could be the writer's way of interpreting the idea that transplantees have food restrictions?

In my case, the restrictions are: Avoid soft ice cream, milkshakes, ice from machines, and unpasteurised, raw juice if it is not freshly made. There is a substance in Grapefruit and Pomello that affects the meds so they are off limits as well, unless I choose to eat the same amount of grapefruit everyday for the rest of my life, but to be honest, I am not a big fan of grapefruit so I'll pass. I must also always wash vegetables, and cut off the ends of tomatoes!  

Source pics: 2 3 4 5

The ice from machines may not sound that bothersome... but that means no slushies during hot summer days... very few cocktails out, and always having to remember to order drinks with no ice. The amount of times I had to send a drink back... I am, however, allowed to drink alcohol in moderation unlike some transplantees in Dramaland.

Crazy Love 

Yes, I am looking at you! You Are My Spring! 


And I am allowed to eat as much salty, spicy. greasy, sweet food as anyone else. 

OK,  I think that is it, no wait, this is not food but I won't be doing any hot scenes in a hot tub. Those are off limits, too! 

Made from picture found  here

While looking for a sequence to make a gif in In The Spring  Day of My  Life I saw a scene where Lee Bom Yi (Choi Soo Young) a girl living with a recycled heart, is portrayed as feeling upset after being told she had gotten another life for free.  I think I should stay clear of this drama even though Choi Soo Young rocks. But I do want to say something about getting a second chance at life or getting a life for free. I may not have had to pay a lot of money for this second, third, or whatever number this is but I would not really call this process free.

Organ recipients may not live forever but there is no due date unlike what some dramas show us (once again, I am looking at you, You Are My Spring). As long as meds are taken, the checkups are done correctly and other risks such as: skin cancer, depression, infections, and other organ failure (nothing serious) are treated, there should be no difference between an otherwise healthy person's life expectancy and those of the organ recipient.  


I don’t believe this writer’s ever been to medical school…

About how organ transplants are portrayed in medical dramas

Organ transplants are often present as side plots in the medical genre of Dramaland, these often serve some kind of moral tale, add spice and excitement or show how extremely competent the doctors are. 

Okay, we get it, writers do not generally go to medical school but sometimes (far from always! ), we can not help but wonder if it is too much to ask them to do some research, maybe visit a hospital? Read a book about basic human anatomy? We do not know, google? Just do something, anything, please. 

My Dear Guardian 

A drama about a doctor and an officer who cohabitate and fall in love. A bunch of stuff happens in and outside the hospital but there is one case where a person is in need of an organ and they seem to schedule the person's heart transplant about a week later. Making us wonder where the **** were they planning on getting that heart? Does China have a heart plantation that we do not know about? Is it the same one they mentioned  in the Pinoy drama Saying Goodbye? 


Doctor Stranger 

A drama that blesses us viewers with an immense amount of scenes of Lee Jong Suk wearing a hospital gown, as he initially starts out as a super-duper doctor in the very evil north. There, he gets to perform the most gruesome transplants, resulting in him becoming one of the world's most competent surgeons. While the morally questionable transplants are left to the North Koreans, the South is shown as more civil but not without its own issues, often having doctors stand in the way of important life saving surgery out of fear of taking responsibility. Back in the North anything seemed to go, as he was forced to transplant his girlfriend’s father’s kidney into his girlfriend. This results in her father’s death and a reason for her to hate him for all eternity… For those wondering, kidneys are generally only donated from either brain dead donors or donors who have gone through some kind of screening and regulations to ensure they survive the process.

Dr. Romantic 2 

A lovely drama about competent doctors in the countryside who fight for every patient while the big bad evil hospital board just wants profits. There is an interesting side story about an inmate in need of a kidney putting the viewers, doctors, and patients at the hospital’s values to the test. There just happens to be a brain dead patient at the hospital who is an eligible donor, that, guess what! happens to have a kidney that matches the inmate, what are the odds? We watch both doctors and family members struggle with the willingness to save the inmates life, and donate the organ… Also, the fact that a tiny hospital out in the countryside seems to have both the equipment and competence to actually perform a transplant is pretty astonishing. 

Hospital Playlist 2

A drama about a bunch of friends who also happen to be very competent doctors in a hospital where a so-called “Daddy long legs” makes sure no person in need gets untreated. In this drama there are several interesting portrayals of donation. One is that of a kid who needs a heart, another of a bunch of people in need of bits of liver. Very different portrayals of transplants and they are indeed handled very differently. As Lee Ik Jun (Jo Jung Suk ) is shown lecturing his patients from time to time, about what a gift they got and what not (yes this pissed Shiro off), the transplants the kids get are shown to very much go to the one who needs and matches the heart the best, and not by time waited, they also showed pretty human ways to react to that situation (yes, Shiro loved this). 

Doctors showing respect to the deceased
Dr. Stranger was indeed entertaining, not very relatable but interesting. I loved how they showed the way lives are valued differently in Dr. Romantic. I Wanted to strangle Lee Ik Jun, but hug the mothers in Hospital Playlist 2

Oh Dr. Stranger, you absolute disaster of a show. It’s certainly entertaining as Shiro mentioned, but the amount of questionable medical practices in that show is pretty insane. The liver transplant aspect was confusing, since the dad was actually supposed to get a liver from the daughter, but our lead chose to save the daughter by giving him one of the dad’s Kidneys. I’m no medical student myself, but that doesn't seem quite right. 

If you want to see a Lee Jong Suk show where organ transplant is handled better (similarly to how it is in Dr. Romantic 2), you’re better off watching While You Were Sleeping instead (see down below).

Dr. Romantic 2 is honestly my comfort show, and I love how they show discussions on the value of life and morality. It was interesting that the mom of the brain-dead donor could choose to not honor her status as an organ donor if she wanted, but it was heartwarming to see her decide to let it be in the end. I love how the donor is honored in this drama, in both her autonomy and how this show gives her an Honor Walk (a real-life occurrence where doctors line the hallways of a hospital while a donor is transported).

I haven’t seen Hospital Playlist 1 or 2 (I know, I know, I really need to), but I did find a couple different articles that this show actually helped increase the amount of organ donors in South Korea eleven-fold. So it’s nice to see that this show had a beneficial impact.

To make our hearts bleed…

Making hearts bleed is not a very accurate term, but hey when in Dramaland you might as well try to use organs for symbolism. To be honest, quite a few of the organs portrayed in medicals are probably just there to make our hearts bleed too,  but they are not the only types of titles to make us feel stuff.

Dear Ex

A movie about a boy whose father left him shortly before he died to live with his lover, and transferred his life insurance to the lover instead of the son. We find out that the lead's father had received a Liver, with the help of borrowed funds from loan sharks. A loan taken by his lover. Treatment can indeed be expensive, thus explaining why he moved the insurance to the lover. As you can understand the liver did not do the trick and the father/lover died due to complications, however the debt remained.

Rainless Love in a Godless Land

This drama is so complicated (and really good) that we are not even going to attempt to describe it for you. There are, however, two episodes that deal with organ transplants in a just as complicated way as the drama itself. 

As Xie Tian Di / Timayacan (Joanne Tseng) is described as a person who was supposed to die and donate her heart to Lu Song En (Mimi Shao), a person that is shown as a Taiwanese heart sick version of Greta Thunberg. Made to make us (and Tian Di) believe she is more worthy of the heart, and the one who would make a lot better use of it, as the girl who could save the world, or whatnot… But now that Tian Di did not die, the world is pretty much doomed. This is done to guilt the female lead, made worse by montages and  Song En's monologues about wanting to live, wishing someone would die so she could live, why is their life worth more etc… However the show as a whole seems to convey that it is complicated, as the writer gave Orad (Fu Meng Bo) a voice of reason to balance it out pushing blame. 

That would be so depressing, We are  guessing it would leave Shiro with about 18 months to live depending on when this gets published. 

While You Were Sleeping 

Another drama that is guested by the organ transplant, as the child of one of the supporting characters,  prosecutor Woo Joo's (Bae Hae Seon) child (Ko Woo Rim) is in need of a kidney. We admit it’s not as crazy as a heart, but having a kid faint does stand for some pretty powerful emotional drama.  Woo Joo has a more relatable approach to the seemingly never ending waiting (in Shiro's opinion). Again not in any way hoping for a certain someone to die, but more feeling hopeful whenever it rains as the chances for accidents increases giving her hope with each siren. (Yes, it is okay to laugh.) 

The side story’s plot thickens as a victim of a vicious murder, disguised as an accident, leads the leads in to a dilemma: save 7 lives (including the kid) with organ donation and let the murderer go free, or let 7 people die (this is of course questionable) for the sake of an autopsy. Should a murderer go free because of the goodness of the donor? Luckily in the end our Male Lead is able to find a compromise, that sees both the murderer behind bars and the 7 people live on.

The Soul-Mate

A movie that follows the ghost of a police officer, Tae Jin ( Kim Young Kwang), in a coma, who can only be seen by Jang Soo (Ma Dong Seok), a judo instructor who just so happens to have a daughter who needs a heart. It seems she may finally get the heart she needs after waiting four years, only for the donor’s family to reject the transplant. While not the main focus of the plot, it’s still a large facet of it, and the need for Jang Soo’s daughter to have an organ proves quite tear jerking, especially since she’s so young. 

This is furthered by the fact that, at the end of the movie, Tae Jin realizes he cannot wake up, and chooses to give his heart to Jang Soo’s daughter. 

I loved the way this was portrayed in Dear Ex, showing new sides to organ transplants that are not always seen. I also like how fast the part about the transplant passes, as well as that it is not about a heart but one of the other important organs. when It comes to Rainless Love In a God Less Land if not for Orad's character,  I would have taken away a bunch of stars from this otherwise amazing drama as it showed both the common misinformation about transplants, as well as showed people on the waiting list as people who are waiting for a certain someone to die. The fact that someone had to die for me to live, was something that I got asked about quite a few times while waiting so to be clear: 

I did not wish for anyone to die; people do not get sacrificed for transplantees to receive organs (unless it is part of the thriller plot with organ trafficking).

I just waited for the system to make the best of a sucky situation. As some people (very few) die in a way that makes organ donation possible, while others live with organs that are no longer viable… End of story. So yes, those waiting are technically waiting for someone to die, but we do not choose who or when they die and I doubt many of us could live with the guilt of a person actually dying just for donation… so yes this bugged me a lot, it was actually this drama that made me want to write this article in the first place. As mentioned, I enjoyed While You Were Sleeping's approach to this much more. And yes, it made me feel stuff.  

I have not seen The Soul-Mate, but do know that kids in need of organs tend to bring out the waterworks for people. 

Full Reviews of:  Dear ExWhile You Were Sleeping, Rainless Love in a Godless Land

 I haven’t seen Rainless Love in a Godless Land but it reminds me a bit of the Soul-Mate which shows a similar yet different side to the fact that someone has to die for someone else to get a heart. In the case of the Soul-Mate however, it provides a rare instance (admittedly fictional, since ghosts aren't really walking the streets), where someone near death can make the decision to give their heart away. It provides a moment of kindness to both the donor and donee, and I love that. 

Although the transplant is far from the main focus, it's a more heartwarming side to such a grim topic. Especially since we get to see a brain dead patient make that choice. 

While You Were Sleeping is my favorite drama of all time, so I'll admit that I may be a bit biased in how I talk about it, but I love how this show handles the subject of brain death. Our ML struggles with bringing new life to those in need, while also providing justice to someone whose life was cut unfairly short. The fact that one of the side characters is the mother of one of those waiting for an organ helps provide a new POV to the situation too. Her hesitancy to bring up her involvement in the matter to the ML, all while talking about what it's like to just wait for something to happen is heartbreaking. It really makes you root for a happy ending to this case.

The donor may be dead, but the cells remember!

Another concept relating to organs that occurs in some dramas is that of ‘cellular memory.’ While not a proven theory, as the name would suggest, ‘cellular memory’ is the hypothesis that cells in the body can store memories outside of the brain. In terms of organ transplants, this would mean that even after being transplanted into the recipient's body, the organ still retains ‘habits’ from the donor. (source)

You may recognise this concept from dramas such as The Spring Day of My Life, or those written by Choi Ran (Mouse and Black).

The trope as it is used in dramas is still in its relative infancy, hence why there aren’t many dramas about it, and why the idea is used in different ways in different dramas. It can be one that is romantic, or one that is horrifying. There is something nice about the idea that in this way, the donor almost lives on after death, but of course as we see in Dramaland, this can also be the source of a lot of frustration and confusion. 

This is an interesting hypothesis that can make for some pretty good drama but has the potential of getting Shiro's blood boiling, as she rather thinks of her heart as a spare part. ;)  

Transplanting the impossible… 

Mouse

It's one interesting ride of a drama with twists and turns about two boys with a so-called psychopath gene. Both are geniuses, however, one is supposed to have grown up to become a psychopathic serial killer, while the other supposedly grew up to be just the sweetest, kindest guy ever. The big question is who is who, for whose benefit and so on. One of the big twists in this drama is the presence of a brain transplant, there to confuse the viewers, and make our jaws drop! 

Honestly I was just yelling at the screen. Come on, this is ridiculous, you can do better, but the drama was good otherwise. 

Full Review here

I enjoyed Mouse, and it’s a show with a brilliant twist that I don’t think I’ll ever get over.  It’s just unfortunate that to get to that twist you have to go through the whole thing of the brain transplant. I’d have given this show the benefit of the doubt if they could agree on whether the brain transplant was impossible or not. First the ML seems to die from this transplant, but it’s later implied in one of the final scenes that this may not be the case. And the fact that this revolutionary surgery is all coming about from a surgeon-turned serial killer experimenting in his own shady lab? If only there was some way around the brain transplant plot, but the show hinges on it.

Oh, and for those curious about the J-dramas?

1. We have yet to have seen one.

2. There are some, but the gap on the amount of transplant dramas between Japan and other countries is relatively large.

3. This could be (but not necessarily) explained by this: 

It could be a reflection of the use of organ transplants in Japan, as compared to other medically advanced countries, Japan has an incredibly low rate of organ donations. 

Interestingly enough, there’s actually a couple identifiable reasons for this. First is cultural differences, specifically how one of the two main religions in Japan of Shinto views the body as well as death. In Shinto, the living body is seen as pure, and it's very important that people avoid ‘polluting’ their body. However, one of the main pollutants in Shinto is death. This means that there are negative connotations about the body and death which have been carried into Japanese culture. 

The other is a distrust in medicine (specifically pertaining to brain death), which arose due to the 1968 heart transplant performed by Juro Wada. While initially successful, the recipient died months later and Dr. Wada was investigated for murder of the donor who, due to how brain death in Japan was defined at the time, could’ve been considered still alive. While the murder charge was dropped, the reputation of organ transplants took a massive hit. 

Thus, while organ transplantation in Japan has been on the rise in the past four years or so, its numbers are still relatively low. Hence the lack of J-dramas surrounding the subject.

This information is mainly sourced from: The Ritual of Rights in Japan: Law, Society, and Health Policy by Eric A. Feldman - Chapter 5: Asserting Rights, Legislation Death

But here are some links to accessible online articles as well: Organ donation and Shinto, The Wada Transplant, Organ Transplantation in Japan

Or is the low  donation rate due to few dramas on the subject?

If you have seen a J-drama with organ transplants, please share it with us! 

Chart from: IRODaT 
We have not forgotten about Taiwan, it was just not on the chart above. But it is about 4.5 according to this chart however it is raising according to this article. 

Upcoming Shows

Everything That We Loved

This drama will have a young and promising cast, so far we know of: Oh Se Hun from EXO as Go Yoo, Jang Yeo Bin as Han Soo Yeon, and Jo Joon Young as Go Joon Hee. The show seems to deal with changes in personality due to cellular memory: 

"Go Yoo is too busy to date, and he’s preoccupied with protecting Joon Hee, but after he donates his kidney to Joon Hee, he becomes rivals in love with Joon Hee for the school’s No. 1 student and his first love So Yeon due to cellular memory syndrome."(MDL page, April 30th 2022)

Source

Connect

“A work that depicts the mysterious story of a man who has been deprived of a part of his body by organ hunters and becomes 'connected' with a person who has received an organ transplant.” 

It is directed by Miike Takashi, “a highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker.” (MDL page, April 30th 2022) of K-Dramalnd’s most amazing cast, with no other than Jung Hae In, Go Kyung Pyo,  Kim Hye Joon, and Jung Dong Hoon.  

The drama is said to have finished filming and will probably air on Disney + sometime around May 2023 (Source)


Everything That We Loved sounds cute, potentially annoying but cute. However the one I am looking forward to the most is Connect, being a fan of both Jung Hae In and Go Kyung Pyo as well as really liking Kim Hye Joon (all the confirmed leads) but not really knowing anything about Miike Takashi. I am hoping they do not mess this up for me, but it is not looking bright… 

Everything That We Loved sounds like the perfect recipe for everything that makes cellular memory in dramas such a headache, although I am excited to see another drama use this concept. 

I’ve been interested in Connect ever since it was first announced, especially since Jung Hae In and Go Kyung Pyo are involved. I also don’t know anything past that, and I’m looking forward to it. Furthermore, working on this article with Shiro has given me a totally new insight into the world of organ transplants and their portrayal in dramas. I’ll definitely be more alert about how it’s handled here than I have been with previous dramas, so I hope that it’s dealt with here in a respectful way.

So it seems like there are a bunch of Kidney transplant dramas too look forward to, or dread.

Last words…

This will be all from us, Shiro and Starflakes! If you have come this far, thank you for reading our article. We hope you enjoyed reading this and that it is not packed with too much misinformation. Yes, we do understand that both complaining about misinformation and not actually writing facts may seem a bit self contradictory, but hey, we never said we were perfect. Not to say that we haven’t done our research either, as you’ll see that we did do some studying when it came to certain parts of this article. Feel free to leave a comment, a heart (the click type not an actual one), or ask questions, we will try to answer, just keep it civil. We would also like to remind you that all organ recipients are different and relate differently to the process. Opinions stated here are our own and do not represent any group. 

If you want even more… here is the complete list of titles with the tags:  Organ Transplant, Heart Transplant.

Credits: Screenshots and gifs have the title they came from under them and are either from MDL´s database or made by us, Whenever we use sources outside our memory or MDL, a link to it's source will follow. The cover was found hereSpecial thanks AnQuat and  the editors! 
Edited by: devitto (1st editor)

medical dramas heart transplant organ transplant organ donation

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