Letters help organ recipients honour the giver and the 'gift'

The Vancouver Sun | Bruce Deachman

OTTAWA — They come in all shapes and sizes, these people, young and old, rich and poor. What they share is a debt of thanks to the organ and tissue donors, and their families, who made it possible for them to live longer and better lives.

Many of them honour that debt by sending a letter to the donor family.

The letters are poignant, raw, heartfelt and honest, and mean a great deal to both writer and reader. And because transplants are, by law, anonymous in Ontario, the recipients' letters are first sent to Trillium Gift of Life Network, the body that oversees organ and tissue donations and transplants in Ontario.

There they are redacted of identifying information before being passed along to the donor families, who may choose to respond via the same route.

This legally forced anonymity protects the privacy of donor families and recipients who may not share similar levels of interest or enthusiasm.

As well, it helps dissuade one side from seeking financial or other gain from the other. A donor family down on its luck might approach a recipient for payment, while another family might voice its concerns about how a recipient is living his life.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/Letters+help+organ+recipients+honour+giver+gift/5930756/story.html#ixzz1i8CL6mIk