New web pages launched to support communication between donors, recipients and donor families
To mark World Letter Writing Day on September 1st, NHS Blood and Transplant are proud to launch two new web pages to help anyone considering communicating with their living organ donor, their donor family or a recipient of their loved one’s donation.
One page covers the subject of communication between a living donor and their recipient, with the other guiding people through the process of writing to a donor family or transplant recipient after deceased donation.
There is also a range of videos across both pages, sharing the stories of people who have written or received correspondence from their donor or donor family, or from a recipient, alongside the stories of people who haven’t received any communication or who want to write but haven’t felt able to do so yet.
The aim is to help people find someone they identify with, to understand that the many different thoughts, feelings and emotions they may have around this subject are being experienced by other people.
Posters will also be displayed within Transplant Centres and flyers will be included in discharge packs for living donor recipients, to help guide them toward these web pages if they are considering beginning the communication process or would like more information.
Jade Carr, a kidney recipient who wrote to her living donor and who features in one of the videos, said she wanted to get involved to help others:
“Having this extra support is going to help a lot of people. There are people out there that don’t know you can make contact after transplant or a donation, so hopefully this will lead to more communication between all parties.”
As well as outlining the practical steps involved in beginning the communication process, the new web pages highlight that correspondence can be via an email or card, or through a letter, and that it’s never too early or too late to write.
With regard to deceased donation, either party can start the communication process.
For more information, please see the following new web pages:
Writing to a donor family or recipient.
Picture: Jade Carr, kidney recipient who wrote to her living donor.