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Contact between transplant recipients and donor family members is highly encouraged, at any time after the transplant surgery. Many recipients choose to write right away, some prefer to wait for a period of time. Gift of Life understands that the decision to contact your donor family is a very personal one, and can be difficult for many people. Most donor families appreciate hearing from their loved one's recipients, and take great pleasure in knowing their decision to donate has helped others. Here are some guidelines for writing to your donor family:
- If you aren't sure what to say, sending a simple "thinking of you" card is fine.
- Do not include any identifying information - such as your last name, city of residence, name of your transplant center or employer.
- Be cautious about religious references - not everyone believes the same way, or
in the same things.
- Do share some of your hobbies or interests.
- You may want to share how many children or grandchildren you have.
- Do share the positive changes in your life since the transplant.
- On a SEPARATE piece of paper, list your full name, address, transplant center, date of transplant and organ transplanted. This will enable Gift of Life staff to look up the proper chart and forward the correspondence on to your donor family.
Due to patient confidentiality rules, any identifying information included in the letter/card will be blocked out prior to being forwarded on to the donor family. If you wish to correspond with your donor family directly, both the recipient and the donor family must complete an "Authorization for Release of Information" form. You can ask for this form to be sent to you by including a note with your correspondence, calling 800-482-4881 or emailing us at info@giftoflifemichigan.org.
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