Writing Your Heroic Donor’s Recipients: Do's & Don'ts

Did you know? Nevada Donor Network is committed to supporting our courageous donor families as they navigate grief during an immense time of loss. Our Aftercare Program not only provides assistance through correspondence, events, grief literature and phone calls, we also provide support group facilitation and grief resources outside of our organization. Another particularly important part of our role is coordinating and facilitating communication between donor families and transplant recipients.

These letters remain anonymous and confidential until both parties agree to exchange identifying information. This is a mutually agreed upon process. As no grieving journey is the same, you can take whatever time you believe is best for you to write this letter as a heroic donor’s loved one. There is no set timeline.

When you feel ready to write your loved one’s recipient(s), you may consider including the following:

1. Your loved one's first name.
2. What your loved one did for work/their occupation.
3. What brought your loved one joy in life (hobbies, loved ones, etc.).
4. Where your loved one grew up or lived (please include the state only, not the city).
5. Photographs of your loved one.

1. Avoid sharing your full name or your loved one’s full name (please include first name only).
2. Avoid sharing your address, city, email or phone number.
3. Avoid sharing the hospital or physician’s name/location.