Corresponding With The Recipient
For the family of a donor, choosing to write to a transplant recipient and his/her family is a personal decision. For some donor families, writing to recipients about themselves and their loved one can help in their grieving process.
The Iowa Lions Eye Bank maintains a confidential listing of cornea transplant recipients and communicates with them as well. Eye bank staff is obliged and pleased to facilitate the communication between the donor family and the cornea recipient. By mailing the correspondence to the recipient on behalf of the donor family, the Iowa Lions Eye Bank is able to retain confidentiality for both parties.
The eye bank provides specific guidelines and helpful suggestions regarding content and how to address correspondence in a brochure mailed to each donor family.
Donor families may or may not receive a reply from the recipient. Some transplant recipients have stated that they are overwhelmed with emotion and find it difficult to express their gratitude in words. Others may take months or even years before they feel comfortable in writing to their donor family.
