WRITING TO DONOR FAMILIES:

Sometimes transplant recipients choose to write to the family of their donor. In response, many donor families have said that a card or personal note from the recipient offers great comfort.

The Nevada Donor Network, Inc. encourages written correspondence between transplant recipients and donor families. All correspondence is completely anonymous and identities are kept confidential.

If you would like to write to your donor family, you may send a card or letter. Here is some information you may want to include:

Talk about yourself :

  • Include your first name only
  • The state in which you live (not city)
  • Your job/occupation
  • Your family situation, such as martial status, children, grandchildren (do not include last names)
  • Your hobbies/interests

Use caution:

  • Since the religion of the donor's family is unknown, please consider this if you are thinking about including religious comments.
  • Avoid "naming" your transplanted organ.

Talk about your transplant experience:

  • Use simple language
  • Recognize the donor family and thank them for the gift.
  • Describe how long you waited for a transplant. What was the wait like for you and your family?
  • Explain how the transplant has improved your health and changed your life. Can you participate in activities now that you couldn't before your transplant?
  • Explain what has happened in your life since the transplant. Did you celebrate another birthday? Did your son or daughter marry? Did you become pregnant or a grandparent? Did you return to school or accept a new job?

Closing your card/letter:

  • Sign your first name only.
  • Do not reveal your address, city or phone number.
  • Do not reveal the name or location of the hospital or your physician.

Mailing your card/letter :
Send your card/letter to your transplant center. The transplant center will forward it to the Network. A coordinator will review it to ensure confidentiality and will then mail your card/letter to the donor family.

  1. Place your card/letter in an unsealed envelope.
  2. Include, on a separate piece of paper, your full name, and the date of your transplant.
  3. Place these items in another envelope and mail them to your transplanting center.

Allow extra mailing time:
Since your card/letter must be mailed to the transplant center first, and then forwarded to the Network, please allow extra time for it to reach the donor family. It may take a few extra weeks after you've mailed it for the donor family to receive it.

Will I hear form the donor family ?
You may or may not hear form them. Some donor families have said that writing about their loved one and their decision to donate helps them in their grieving process. Other donor families, even though they are comfortable with their decision to donate, prefer privacy and choose not to write to the transplant recipient.

Remember, the donor's family may still be coping with the loss of their loved one and individuals manage grief in different ways. While you may be celebrating the anniversary of receiving your transplant, it is also the anniversary of someone else's loss.

WRITING TO A TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT:

All correspondence is completely anonymous and identities are kept confidential.

Those who write to organ/tissue recipients find that sharing information about their loved one, their family, and their decision to donate is very healing and helps them deal with their grief.

Provide General Information

  • Your loved one's first name only.
  • Their hobbies or interests
  • The state where you live.
  • Your family situation, such as marital status, children, or grandchildren.
  • Since the religion of the transplant recipient's family is unknown, please consider this if you are including religious comments.

Closing Your Letter

  • Sign your first name only.
  • Do not reveal your address, phone number, or email address.
  • Do not reveal the name of the physician or hospital that cared for your loved one.

Mailing Your Card or Letter
Place it in an unsealed envelope. Please be aware that to ensure confidentiality, all letters are reviewed by the Family Support Liaison before they are forwarded to recipients.

  • Include in the mailing envelope a separate piece of paper with:
    • Your full name
    • Your loved one's full name
    • Date of the donation.
  • Mail to the transplant facility that served you.