As COVID-19 and its variants Delta, Lambda, and Mu plagued the world with an unimaginable period of death and despair, the world raced to innovate and save lives. Dr. Ankit Bharat, Chief Thoracic Surgeon, and his team worked to find solutions to combat this virus, fastidiously pioneering the double lung transplant procedure for COVID-19 patients with no other hope of survival—which has been adopted globally. Innovation Amid Despair unveils heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring stories about the extraordinary crisis told by patients and their loved ones. These accounts display how innovation can be accomplished in the darkest, most desperate moments by genuinely caring about people—restoring hope and the need for time—to reconcile conflicts. This prolific story spans many dimensions beyond medical discoveries, revealing damning consequences of political dividedness, conflicting narratives, and public distrust while illustrating the importance of mutual harmony and collaboration so that we are better prepared—for the next catastrophe.