Note from Organ Donors Family

[willieandwinnie]

We received a note from the Organ Donor Sharing Network that said they had a request from donor family to see how Len was doing. It will be 2 years on 9/7 and I already got a Thank You, You Have Not Been Forgotten Card and plan to send it after his transplant follow up on 9/9. I am ever so grateful for what they did. 

[okarol]

  Do you know much about the donor?
I know if I donated a loved ones organs that I would be happy to know that someone was doing okay.

[Romona]

  I am so glad you are sending them a card. I love my donor family.

[petey]

How wonderful, willieandwinnie!  First that this family donated their loved one's organs, and second that they still remember that it changed someone else's life.

[Laurie]

W&W I'm sure they will be so grateful to get a card from you.
After several letters exchanged between my donor's son and myself, we now exchange emails and texts daily, are friends on Facebook and plan on meeting this weekend. 

[willieandwinnie]

Oh Laurie, how cool is that. Len's donor was was Houston Texas and had no family, his girlfriend made the decision to donate his organs and I was touched that she wanted to know how he was doing. 

[willowtreewren]

What a wonderful gesture in both directions.

[Jess21]

 

I'm writing to my donor family this week...still not sure what to say....my donor was pediatric..

[Chris]

That's great W&W

Jess that is the hardest part. In the back of my mind was when is the right time to write. They just lost a family member and you do not want to upset them, but at the same time you want to thank them. Is Wisconsin part of The Gift of Hope? That is where we had to send letters and get them approved before they would send them.

[Rerun]

Initially I sent my donor family a letter through the donor network.  After six years I wanted to send them a care package to let them know "What A Difference They Made In My Life".  That is also a song by Ronnie Milsap which I recorded on a tape and sent in my care package.  We met after that and have been fast friends since. 

[Jess21]

University of WI has some sort of donor network.  I send the letter to them, they send it to the donor family.

[Wattle]

I'm writing to my donor family this week...still not sure what to say...

I want to write a letter to the donor family too. I too am unsure what to say. Everything I come up with sounds a little corny.

[KT0930]

I've been writing my letter in my head for over a year and a half. Words just can't communicate what I want them to know they've done for me and my family.

[cariad]

I have often wondered what I would say were I to write such a letter, and this has always led to me imagining what I would want to hear if I lost a loved one and consented to donate his or her organs.

I once read about a woman who lost her son (still a child) and donated his organs to at least half a dozen people. She never heard from any of them. Then over eight years after his death, one of the recipients wrote her a letter. The word she used was 'confusing'. Here she had completed the grieving process, and someone, probably with the best intentions, writes to her and triggers all of those memories again. The message I got from that was to not let yourself become paralyzed by worrying too much about the perfect phrasing because while it may be possible to write too soon, it is also possible to leave it much too long. Of course, I am sure I would obsess over every word, so I know it's easier said than done.

Good luck to all the letter-writers.

[Hanify]

My husband's brother died at 17 in a motorbike accident (in 1977).  They donated everything that could be donated at the time - including skin and retina etc.  Paul's mother to this day is comforted by the thought that at least some good came from his so unnecessary death.  There was no system at the time for recipients to find out who they got stuff from, so she's never had a letter, but I know she would love it even now if someone wrote.

[Chris]

Not sure when I wrote my letter, I don't have access to a floppy drive anymore to where I saved it. I kept it simple. Basically I told them sorry for their loss and that I wanted to thank them. I have written a total of 3 letters and only recieved one responce. I don't push the issue and do not give it much thought anymore. I respect their wish to not communicate because they did loose their daughter after all and that must have been hard.

[Rerun]

Those of you waiting to write your letters but don't know what to say or think it may sound corny.  They will LOVE to hear from someone who has part of their loved one. 

           JUST DO IT~