Television and movies have a way of reflecting our stories back to us, often in places we never thought to look. A line in a sitcom, a moment in a medical drama, a scene inside a sci‑fi adventure can feel familiar, as if someone understands the bumpy road we have been walking. Whether you are living with a disease or making your way through dialysis or an organ transplant, these glimpses can feel like small mercies. They show our journey is not hidden and that our struggle is not going unnoticed.
Shows like B Positive and others across the TV and movie landscape step into these stories with humor, tenderness, and honesty. They remind us that even in the hardest chapters, there is room for laughter, compassion, and truth. This post gathers some of those moments, celebrating the way a scene on a screen can steady us, lift us, and help us feel a little more understood as we continue on our own path toward healing.
TV Shows
B Positive
“Newly divorced dad Drew faces finding a kidney donor and is at the end of his rope and his hope when he runs into Gina, a rough-around-the-edges woman from his past who volunteers her own.”
A sitcom centered on the miracle of kidney donation. At its heart is a man facing kidney failure who discovers an unexpected lifeline in a woman from his past. Their story serves as a reminder that help can emerge from places we never thought to look and that hope often returns in the most unexpected ways.
Scrubs
“In the unreal world of Sacred Heart Hospital, intern John “J.D.” Dorian learns the ways of medicine, friendship, and life.”
Multiple episodes open the door to stories about transplant waiting lists, the hard questions surrounding organ donation, and the daily courage of patients who rely on kidney dialysis. Each one offers a reminder that every life touched by kidney disease carries its own weight, its own hope, and its own sacred worth.
Grey’s Anatomy
“A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.”
Frequent storylines invite viewers into the world of kidney failure, the courage of living donors, and the challenges that come with transplant complications. Each one offers a reminder that every struggle carries its own depth and every act of generosity carries its own light.
House
“Using a crack team of doctors and his wits, an antisocial maverick doctor specializing in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way.”
Several episodes revolve around kidney failure, dialysis crises, and transplant ethics.
ER
“The doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.”
Features recurring dialysis patients and transplant cases.
The Resident
“A group of doctors at Chastain Memorial Hospital face personal and professional challenges on a daily basis.”
Covers the world of organ donation, the difficult choices that surround transplant decisions, and the daily realities of chronic illness. Each storyline offers a small reminder that every life touched by these challenges carries a depth that deserves to be seen with compassion.
Chicago Med
“The city’s most highly skilled medical team saves lives, while navigating their unique interpersonal relationships.”
Includes the stories of patients who rely on kidney dialysis and those walking through transplant evaluations. Each moment invites viewers to see the bravery behind every chart and every choice, reminding us that even in a busy hospital, every life carries a depth worth honoring.
New Amsterdam
“A new medical director breaks the rules to heal the system at America’s oldest public hospital.”
Features stories of living donors who step forward with uncommon generosity and shines a light on the systemic barriers that stand between patients and the transplants they need, these moments remind us that every act of kindness has the power to open doors that once seemed closed.
Movies
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).
“To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.”
Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy gives an elderly dialysis patient a single pill, and moments later, she joyfully announces she has “grown a new kidney”.
This moment stands out because it places the healing power of future medicine beside the limitations of twentieth-century dialysis. It has become one of the most memorable kidney scenes in all of science fiction, often mentioned in transplant and nephrology circles as a lighthearted glimpse of what healing might one day become.
My Sister’s Keeper (2009)
“Anna Fitzgerald looks to earn medical emancipation from her parents who until now have relied on their youngest child to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate remain alive.”
Seven Pounds (2008)
“A man with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.”
John Q (2002)
“John Quincy Archibald takes a hospital emergency room hostage when his insurance won’t cover his son’s heart transplant.”
Return to Me (2000)
“A man who falls in love with the woman who received his wife’s heart must decide which woman it is who holds his heart.”
Lucy Shimmers and the Prince of Peace (2020)
Second chances start when a hardened criminal crosses paths with a precocious little girl who is helped by an angel to change hearts during the holiday season.
The God Committee (2021)
“An organ transplant committee has one hour to decide which of three patients deserves a life-saving heart. Seven years later, the committee members struggle with the consequences of that fateful decision.”
The Big Sick (2017)
“Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family’s expectations, and his true feelings.”
In the end, these stories offer more than entertainment. They point us toward the strength that carries us through illness and uncertainty. Or show us courage in unexpected places and kindness that rises when we least expect it. And help us remember that even when the road feels long, we do not walk it without help.
As you watch these shows and films, may you find a little light for your own steps. May you see your strength reflected in characters who keep going, your resilience echoed in stories that refuse to give up, and your worth affirmed in every reminder that your life carries meaning far beyond what any script could hold. And as you continue on your own healing path, may these small reflections on a screen steady your heart and remind you that grace meets us in the most unexpected places.
Maybe one day, your true story will be seen by many streaming on TV or in the theater.
Question: Are there any I left out?
Even for me, as a diabetic, sometimes I see shows like The Flash or High Potential that include someone with diabetes in their plot, but often get it wrong. I’d like to consult on some shows… as a non-medical consultant, of course.
Related Posts:
Movie Quotes That Summed Up My Kidney Journey
My Kidney Transplant Recovery – A New Medical Show