Corresponding With Your Donor Family
Oftentimes, the family of an eye donor finds comfort in hearing from the recipients of their loved one’s corneas. A simple yet sincere thank you note, letter or card from the cornea recipient can be uplifting to the donor’s family and reassure them that, in the midst of their grief and sadness, they were able to make a wonderful decision that ultimately restored or enhanced the sight of another.
Serving as a vital link between the corneal transplant recipient and the donor’s family, staff of the Iowa Lions Eye Bank is very willing to facilitate written communication between both parties. Recipients are encouraged, through a brochure provided to them via the eye bank, to provide some personal information and to share details of their transplant experience in their letter, as well as how receiving a cornea transplant has renewed their vision and impacted their life.
Recipients may or may not hear back from their donor’s family. Sometimes a donor family may feel that writing about their loved one and their decision to donate aids them in their grieving process. However, there are donor families who prefer privacy and choose not to correspond with their loved one’s transplant recipients, even though they were content with the decision to donate.
Recipients should not feel obligated to communicate with their donor family. Understandably, many find it very difficult to express their thanks for such an incredible gift given during a time of intense loss. It remains a personal decision for each individual recipient.
