Have you ever picked up a black shaker and turned it upside down over your food only for white salt to come out? Tristan Van had several distinctions - nurse, bicyclist, curmudgeon with a heart of gold, and the first transgender employee at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. His colleague and friend Neil Stinson remembers Tristan and the token from him he keeps. We can't always know what's inside a person or a pepper shaker.

If you are moved by this episode remembering the life of Tristan Van, we encourage you to make a donation to the Tennesee Equality Project in his memory. This page was set up by his friends and family as a way to honor his legacy.