Radiolab
Radiolab

Gray's Donation

February 20, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 2009, Sarah Gray was pregnant with identical twin boys when a 12-week ultrasound revealed that one of them, Thomas, had anencephaly, a condition where the brain and skull do not form properly. Doctors told her and her husband Ross that Thomas would die within minutes or hours of birth, and that his presence in the womb was actually endangering his healthy twin, Callum. They were faced with a choice: selectively terminate Thomas to save Callum, or carry both to term and accept the risk. After a priest invoked the doctrine of double effect—the idea that doing good sometimes requires inadvertent harm—they decided to proceed with the termination. But the night before the procedure, an ultrasound showed that Sarah's placenta had shifted, making the procedure too dangerous. They left the hospital in relief, but the next six months were deeply strange: buying one of everything for two babies while also planning a funeral.

Thomas was born first, alive and struggling. He lived for six days, dying in Ross's arms. Then Sarah and Ross donated his organs and tissues to medical research. They received a generic letter confirming the donations had been sent to various labs, but no details about what happened next. For two years, that was all they knew.

The Quest to Find Out

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

What you'll learn

  • 1 (02:30) **Introducing Sarah Gray and the Mystery of Her Son's Donation** - Sarah Gray, a mother who lost her infant son Thomas to anencephaly, donates his organs and later embarks on a quest to find out what happened to them.
  • 2 (04:19) **The Diagnosis: One Twin Has Anencephaly** - At a 12-week screening, the Grays learn one twin (Thomas) has anencephaly and will die shortly after birth, while the other (Callum) is healthy.
  • 3 (06:46) **The Procedure is Called Off** - The night before the scheduled termination, the Grays are deeply conflicted, but the procedure is canceled when the doctor discovers the placenta has moved, making it too risky.
  • 4 (08:16) **Thomas is Born and Dies Six Days Later** - Thomas is born alive with anencephaly, defying expectations by living for six days before dying in his father's arms.
  • 5 (10:33) **The Quest Begins: Wanting to Know More** - After receiving only a generic letter about the donation, Sarah becomes determined to find out exactly which researchers received Thomas's tissues and what they did with them.
  • 6 (13:30) **The First Visit: Schepens Eye Research Institute** - Sarah calls the lab, gets connected to Dr. James Zieske, and visits in person, learning that infant eyes are "worth their weight in gold" due to their regenerative properties.
  • 7 (17:25) **Visiting Duke: Thomas's Cord Blood and Liver** - Sarah and Ross travel to Duke University in North Carolina to visit the researchers studying Thomas's cord blood and liver.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Sarah Gray

Show Notes

Before he was even born, Sarah and Ross Gray knew that their son Thomas wouldn’t live long. But as they let go of him, they made a decision that reverberated through a world that they never bothered to think about. Years later, after a couple of awkward phone calls, they go on a quest and manage to meet the people and places for whom Thomas’ short life was an altogether different kind of gift. We originally made this story back in 2015, but we wanted to play it again because we love that it brings a view of science that is redemptive, tender, and unexpected.

Since we first released this episode, Sarah Gray wrote a book called A Life Everlasting (https://zpr.io/GVYisRaqe9d6), it’s a memoir about Thomas that dives into the world of organ donation and medical science. She’s also written a beautiful short story about shame called The Lacemaker Fairy Tale (https://zpr.io/Li5BMtfHmf92). And, right now she’s working on a script for a movie called Raincheck.

EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by - Jad Abumrad
with help from - Latif Nasser

LATERAL CUTS -

Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!

Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.

Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfre

Radiolab

More from this podcast

Radiolab →