A SEROIUS QUESTION!!! How do i find an organ recipient in florida?

Question

its been 7 ms now since the donoation...i am aware that liver, kidneys and lungs were transplanted...and i would like to find those people. the organ donation organization won't share that info with us...do we need to hire an investigator? Is there any way to find the recipients of my son's organs? what procedure must we follow?(if any)

Answer 1

Good evening.

I'm not your son's organ recipient but I am a 39 year old Cystic Fibrosis patient that had a bi-lateral lung transplant on August, 26, 2004. The only thing I know about my donor is that he or she had their organs harvested in Tennessee. I'd love to more about my donor but the privacy laws are in place both to protect the donor families and recipients.

I would sincerely hope that your recipients write you a thank you letter. My transplant program strongly encourages all recipients to do so and it is the least we can do for the gift of life. However, that being said, it was by far the most difficult letter I've ever had to write. How do you say "thank you" sufficiently to the family and friends of the individual that saved your life when they lost theirs? We all know it's not our fault the person died but there's always that one bit of us (recipients) that wonders if we're measuring up to that person's memory and honoring the gift we received. You may or may not ever hear from the people that received your son's organs but be assured that he is thought of by each of the recipients every single day. I know people that are many years out from their transplant and they tell me that there's still not a day that goes by that they don't think of their donor - and they still get very emotional when talking about the changes that transplant brought to their lives. Some of the recipients, unfortunately, will never be able to bring themselves to write that letter...in my case it took me until Thanksgiving, 2005 to finally put my thoughts into words.

One thing I've seen on the various transplant forums and heard from others is that some of the organ procurement organizations are simply not good at forwarding mail. I've not heard back from my donor's family so although I know the procurement organization on my end forwarded the letter I have no idea if the organization on the other end did so. And, the transplant team told us that in some cases people just can't ever bring themselves to write. An additional point is that the procurement organizations are very conscious of privacy issues so they will read and censor the letters to remove any details that are too specific. If your son's recipients send letters that are basically nothing but details it may be that the letters are purposely not forwarded.

About the only thing you can do at this point is initiate the communication with the recipients. Send them a letter, tell them about your son - what was he like, what were his hobbies, why did he and your family elect to donate his organs, what were his goals in life, etc. Tell the recipients that you would like to hear from them and hopefully they will write back. If they do then you should exchange letters a few times and then tell them you'd like to meet them. In order for that to happen both you and the recipients (or their guardians) must sign legal privacy release documents (via the procurement organization) and then more specific information is released to both you and the recipients. What you do after that is then completely between the two families and the organization is no longer involved.

Since you haven't heard from your recipients let me just say thank you on behalf of all the organ recipients. My doctors never told me what life expectancy I had left but I know deep down that I could not have survived one more lung infection. That last year before my transplant was the worst one of my life - I was able to find the strength to continue working but outside of that I really had no quality of life. Every bit of my energy and inner strength was focused on just surviving from one day to the next and then one treatment to the next. It took so much energy just trying to breathe and manage my oxygen tanks that expressing emotions was impossible - I couldn't laugh, I couldn't cry, nothing. Even little things such as eating, talking, daily hygiene, etc. were tiring and an ordeal. Receiving my new lungs was a miracle and, for the first time I can ever remember, I am now able to breath freely and do anything I want to do (that isn't prohibited by my transplant docs). The winter after my transplant I was able to walk in the snow and enjoy the beauty of winter for the first time in years. This past winter I was able to help my husband shovel the several inches of snow we received...and I'll admit (as long as you don't tell him!) that it was actually fun. I noticed the difference immediately upon waking up from my surgery that I could breathe. I had to laugh the next day when I realized I could walk and talk at the same time, which I hadn't been able to do for ages! Every day I discover things that I couldn't do before either without great effort and impact to my breathing or at all.

Please know that your gift was completely life changing and very much appreciated. I will add your son and your family to my prayers. Thank you.

Answer 2

Most organ recipients wish to remain anonymous and usually when an organ is donated the recipient doesn't know where it came from. With the new Hippa laws in effect an attorney will not be able to help you as the recipient's medical info is confidential. You have done a wonderful thing for other families, I would suggest you run an add in the paper close to the city where the organ was sent, the recipient may contact you voluntarily. I am sorry for the loss of your son, and wish you luck in finding the recipients as it may give you some closure.

Blessed Be.

Answer 3

GoD Bless you & yours in your healing,such a sad loss! But Thank You for such a kind and LOVing gift you have given...I hope you find 'em

Answer 4

I think you need to hire a lawyer!!!