Family Support

Communication Guidelines for Donor Families

As a donor family member, you may or may not wish to communicate with the recipients of your loved one’s organs. Some donor families find that contact with the recipients helps to ease their grief. Others prefer simply knowing that others live on. It is your personal decision.

You may not be ready to write to the recipients at this time, but may decide in a few months or years from now that you would like to do so. There is no time limit for sending a letter, but you may wish to contact the Center For Donation & Transplant to obtain an update on the conditions of the recipients before doing so.

What am I permitted to write?

• Write information you feel comfortable sharing about you, your loved one and other family members. This may include occupation, hobbies or interests, perhaps special things your loved one liked to do or information about your family.
• Keep identities anonymous. Avoid using last names, street addresses, city names, phone numbers or names of hospitals, physicians or your place of employment.
• You may include first names of yourself, your loved one and other family members.
• Sign only your first name.
• You may feel more comfortable sending a holiday or “Thinking of You” card if you are unsure what to write at this time.

Who do I send the letter to?

Place your card or letter in an unsealed envelope along with a separate sheet of paper with your full name, and the name and date of death of your loved one to ensure that it reaches the appropriate individual(s).

Mail both items to:
Donor Family Services
Center For Donation & Transplant
218 Great Oaks Blvd.
Albany, NY 12203

Will my letters will be reviewed to ensure confidentiality?

CDT reserves the right to return correspondence that may be harmful to the recipient or that is not written anonymously. The recipient may be contacted to request permission to forward the correspondence. If your letter includes identifying information, it will be removed at the discretion of CDT. Please allow a few weeks for delivery.

Some recipients may send a letter or card to you in response to your letter. Others may choose not to write at this time – remember – it is their personal decision. Many recipients have said they feel overwhelmed with emotion and have difficulty expressing their gratitude in writing, and others may need time to recover from their surgery.

Do donor families and recipients ever meet?

Occasionally, donor families and recipients who have communicated on a regular basis decide they would like to meet. In order for this to occur, one year of regular anonymous communications must have taken place. If the donor family and recipient have expressed an interest in direct communication, both will be asked to sign a consent form allowing us to release their contact information.