Sometimes donor families and transplant recipients choose to write
to one another to share
information about themselves and/or their loved one- For some, this
sharing helps the grieving
process or provides the opportunity to thank a donor family for their
loved one's gift of life. It is
your choice whether or not you decide to write,
You may or may not receive a response to your correspondence. Many
transplant recipients and
donor family members have said they are overwhelmed with emotion at
this time in life. They
are both experiencing heightened emotions through grief or gratitude
that are often very difficult
to express through written communication. Some transplant recipients
or donor family members
may take several months or even years before they feel comfortable
writing.
• Your first name only.
• Your job or occupation.
• The state (not city) in which you live.
• Your family situation, such as marital status, children/grandchildren or hobbies
• Any personal information you choose to include about how the donation/
transplantation
experience has impacted your life
• Since the religion or beliefs of the recipient/donor family unknown,
please consider this
if you are including religious comments.
When writing to donor families you may wish to include the following information.
• 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 your transplant.
(Did you celebrate
another birthday? Did you take a vacation or accomplish a lifelong
dream?)
• Tell the donor family about your hobbies and interests.
• Recognize the donor family and thank them for their gift.
Dear Donor Family,
I can't begin to express in words my gratitude for your selfless, compassionate
gift of your son's
liver which saved my life- I am so moved that even in the midst of
your intense grief, you
thought of saving my life, the life of a complete stranger.
I want you to know that because of your life-saving gift, my friends
and family, and their friends
and families have become more aware of organ donation and the good
that can come out of a
tragedy. Your gift has touched so many more people than you know.
I am so truly grateful to your family for giving me a second chance
at life. Please know that I am
truly making the most of it by taking excellent care of myself and
striving to live a meaningful
and helpful life.
Sincerely and gratefully yours,
The Recipient
Dear Family;
It has been a year since we lost our daughter and you received her gift
of life. We have thought
about you and kept you in our prayers. We would appreciate hearing
from you, hopefully that
your organ transplant has been successful. We feel a special bond with
you; you are a
continuation of our daughter's life. We would like to tell you the
story of her life and to learn
about you and your family; if you would care to share with us. We hope
you will write back.
Naomi's parents and siblings
Thank you for the lovely letter you sent us shortly after you received
Naomi's gift of life. Your
sincere thankfulness for the gift and your compassion for our loss
have comforted us. We have
read and reread your letter many times and have shared it with other
family members and
friends. Although we cry each time we read it, we really appreciate
your thoughtfulness towards
us. Although we would of course rather have that kidney in a strong,
healthy Naomi, we do not
have that choice. We are so glad that what became useless to her and
to us has been so
wonderful for you. We hope and pray that now, a year and a half after
your transplant, you are
happy and healthy.
Please keep in touch!
• Sign you first name only.
• Do not reveal your address, phone number or email address.
• Place the correspondence in an unsealed envelope
• On a separate piece of paper include the following information so
we know how to
forward your correspondence.
o If you are a transplant recipient: your full name and date of transplant
o If you are a donor family member: your full name, your loved one's
full name and
date of donation.
• Mail your card or letter to the Living Legacy Foundation.
Living Legacy Foundation
11245 SE 6th St.
Ste 100
Bellevue, WA 98004
If you are a recipient writing to your donor family, the Living Legacy
Foundation's Family
Services staff will review your card or letter to ensure confidentiality,
then contact the donor
family to let them know you've written a letter and see if they're
ready to receive it. Some donor
families prefer to wait a while and some choose not to accept correspondence.
Most often they
are very grateful to receive a letter of thanks from recipients.
If you are a donor family member writing to your loved one's recipients,
your correspondence
will be forwarded to the social worker at each recipient's transplant
center and they will then
facilitate transferring your correspondence to the recipient.
Since your correspondence must be mailed to the Living Legacy Foundation
first, then
forwarded, please allow enough time for your correspondence.
The Living Legacy Foundation in collaboration with all transplant
programs supports written
communication between recipients and donor families. All correspondence
is anonymous and
identities are kept confidential.
Some donor families and transplant recipients are interested in direct
contact, and we are open to
facilitating that after some anonymous correspondence has occurred
and if both sides are willing to
sign an authorization for disclosure of information.
If you need further information about writing to transplant recipients
or donor families, please
contact a member of our Family Services team at l.877.275.5269 toll-free
or visit our website at
http://www.livinglegacyfoundation.org.