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Make Your Wishes Known | Bereavement Support | Medal of Recognition | Memorial Garden | Transplantation Works | Letter to a Donor Family

Five years ago, I was dying. A heart transplant was my last option. After many years of choices, only a heart transplant would give a chance at a future. I was unbelievably lucky and that future has been better than I could ever have hoped.

There are so many people who helped make this possible, but at the top of the list is my donor family who, in a time of deep personal loss and tragedy, gave the gift of life through organ donation. MORE (Multiple Organ Retrieval and Exchange Program) is an organization through which organ recipients can indirectly contact their donor family.

I proceeded to write a letter to the family of the 21-year-old girl whose heart was now beating inside of me. I couldn’t thank my donor but I would make her family see what their gift had done for me.

As it turned out, I couldn’t thank them either. There was no donor family; she had been alone. Recently, I have heard of donor families who have never heard from recipients. To them, I would like to offer the letter of thanks I had written to a family that was so real in my heart. Just as they need to hear it, I need to say it.

Last updated on: December 30th, 2016