Not all donor families receive correspondence from the recipients of their loved one’s organs and/or tissues. There are many factors that influence the likelihood of receiving a letter from the recipient/s of your loved one’s gift of organ and/or tissue donation.
For example, organ recipients may experience a long recovery period, or may be unsure about how to communicate or what to say to a family who has experienced a loss such as yours.
The same is true for many tissue recipients. In addition, some tissue recipients may not be aware of how the gift of donation has played a role in their treatment and recovery.
Pathways is working with the organ and tissue donation and transplant community to make it easier for organ and tissue recipients to write to donor families. The Thank You Letter Program is one way we are breaking down the barriers to communication between organ and tissue recipients and their donor families.
Our goal is to increase the number of donor families who receive letters while at the same time educating the public about the benefits of donation.
What Can I Do to Help?
While you may not be able to increase your own chances of receiving a letter, there are things you can do today that will benefit donor families in the future.
• Write to our partner organizations to thank them for their participation in the Thank You Letter Program. Click on the link to the right for information about our partner organizations.
• Add your name to our mailing list. We’ll keep you informed about local events and opportunities to join Pathways and the donation and transplant community in promoting donation and increased communication between recipients and donor families. Click on “Contact Us” at the bottom right to send your contact information.
• Send us a story. If you have a story about receiving a letter from a recipient of your loved one’s organs or tissues, and would like to share it with others, send it to us (300 words or less, please!)