Dear Donor Family...




Below is the letter I will send to the tissue donation center.  With the tissue ID number given to me by my doctor, they will send this letter along to the donor family (this donor family has agreed to be contacted if a recipient wishes to do so).  The donor center has a pretty specific format that they ask you to follow, so with respect to the company and the certainty that they know best, I followed their format in how to structure the letter. I am not sure if I would have written it much differently, and am ultimately grateful for the guidance on the types of things that are ok to share. I meant to get this done and sent during the month of April (which is organ and tissue donation awareness month), but life happened, and I am finishing it on May 1st instead.
Below is the link to my blog post, pre-surgery, about tissue donation:
Dear Donor Family,
I am writing to thank you for the generous gift of tissue donation from your loved one.  I am so very sorry for your loss, but I want you to know that your decision to donate has improved my life, and I could not be more grateful for that.
I needed a tissue transplant because my left knee was damaged beyond repair from a previous injury and surgery. My natural joint was worn down, and it became painful to do the simplest things, like put on a sock. I could not sleep well. I struggled to play with my kids. Basically I was unable to maintain a level of activity that my life as a registered nurse and mother, required. My only other option, aside from preservation surgery with tissue transplantation, was to have a knee replacement. I was told that a person my age is generally too young for a knee replacement, and that surgical success would be uncertain. A knee replacement at my age would also mean subsequent knee replacements in the future.  My doctor suggested I consider tissue transplantation to help preserve my natural joint and, after extensive research, I decided to move forward with this suggestion.
My surgery was extremely successful, and I have been diligent in strengthening and rehabbing my knee since the day after surgery. In the 6 months since I received the tissue transplant from your loved one, I have been able to do so much more than I ever thought possible.  I can throw the ball with my kids, play Legos with them on the ground, walk all over the hospital for my job as a nurse, ride my bike, swim, and walk around the city where I live. I sleep soundly now, can get dressed and even clean my whole house, all without feeling the slightest bit of pain in my knee. I never thought it would be possible to be pain free after such an extensive surgery, but thanks to your gift my natural knee joint was preserved and I am pain free.
For all of this, and more, I am very grateful to you and your loved one. I will always remember your generosity, as I frequently reflect on your selfless decision that has dramatically improved my life.
Thank you,
Sara


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