Introduction to Our Donor Family Program
How do I contact recipients?
Donor Family Gathering
Bill of Rights for Donor Families
Children's Bereavement Literature
   
The Transplant Network's Family Services Department is committed to providing compassionate care:

At the hospital:

• By providing onsite assistance by Family Resource Coordinators who are experienced in caring for grieving families.
• Through discussion with families regarding information about the option of donation
• Assistance in funeral arrangements and other end-of-life decisions
• Support for any grief needs while at the hospital
• Information about children and grief

Following donation:

• Follow-up telephone calls to communicate with and support families
  • To share recipient information
• Referrals to local community support groups
• Forwarding written correspondence between donor family and recipient and vice versa
• Facilitation of a grief counselor to consult with families
• Information about supporting children through their grief

 

1. For Northern and Central California and the Reno, Nevada area, send all correspondence to:
   
   California Transplant Donor Network
   1000 Broadway Suite 600
   Oakland, CA 94607
   
   Include:
   • Name of Donor
   • Date of donation
   • Hospital where donation occurred
      
2. Contact the Organ Procurement Agency (OPO) in your region.
   • To find an OPO, click here.

Once the letter is received, we will locate the intended recipient and forward the mail onto them.

Please understand that the individual receiving the letter may not respond promptly and occasionally may not choose to respond. In our experience, this is often because recipients are truly overwhelmed by the generosity of the gift and quite simply cannot find words to express their gratitude.
     
Each year, the miracle of organ and tissue transplantation saves or greatly improves the lives of thousands of men, women and children. The true heroes, the miracle makers, are the donors who give the "gift of life". Our annual Donor Family Gathering at Chabot College is a ceremony of recognition which brings together those who share a common bond. It is a time to share, to remember, to comfort, and to heal. The ceremony gives donor families from throughout Northern/Central California and Northern Nevada the opportunity to meet other donor family members. A memory book with donor tributes is distributed at the ceremony.

The two-hour program includes representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Transplant Network. There is a special section of the program where organ recipients, young and old, express their heartfelt thanks to the donor families in the audience. The program also includes performances by several local artists including a memorial dance program dedicated to a young dancer who became an organ donor. The performance ends with a stirring song from a Bay Area gospel singer whose life was saved when she received the young teenage dancer's kidney and pancreas. Each year, the program concludes with a memorable slide presentation honoring the donors from the previous year.

The annual Donor Family Gathering is held in April of every year, which is National Donate Life Month, and is always dedicated to the donors from the previous year. In accordance, donor families from our service area who lost a loved one in that year receive an invitation of attendance from the Transplant Network and also the opportunity to submit a memorial picture and text for the memory book. Every family also is invited on to the stage to receive a memorial medallion for their loved ones "Gift of Life". For more information on the Donor Family Gathering please contact us.
     
This document is intended to represent the rights and legitimate expectations of families of loved ones who die and who are considered potential organ and/or tissue donors. This document is also intended to serve as a guide for services that are or should be offered to such families.

The term "family" identifies legal next-of-kin but is also intended to embrace other individuals who may have a significant relationship with a potential or actual organ and/or tissue donor, whether through biological, matrimonial, or affectional ties.

The term "donor family" identifies family members who may be or have already been approached to give consent for organ and/or tissue donation from the body of a loved one after death has occurred.

This document does not address the situation of living persons who are contemplating or have consented to organ and/or tissue donation during their lifetime. Families have the right:

• To a full and careful explanation about what has happened to their loved one, his or her current status, and his or her prognosis.
   
• To be full partners with the health care team in the decision-making process about the care and support given to their loved one and to themselves.
   
• To a full and careful explanation about the (impending) death of their loved one, with appropriate reference to the concept of cardiac and/or brain death and the basis upon which it has been or will be determined that that concept applies to their loved one.
   
• To opportunities to be alone with their loved one during his or her care and after his or her death occurs. This should include offering the family an opportunity to see, touch, hold, or participate in the care of their loved one, as appropriate.
   
• To be cared for in a manner that is sensitive to the family's needs and capacities by specially-trained individuals.
   
• To have an opportunity to make organ and/or tissue donation decisions on behalf of themselves and of their loved one who has died. This opportunity is to be included in the normal continuum of care by the health care provider after death has been determined and the family has had sufficient time to acknowledge that death has occurred.
   
• To receive information in a manner that is suited to the family's needs and capacities about the need for organ and tissue donation, the conditions and processes of organ and/or tissue donation, and the implications of organ and/or tissue donation for later events, such as funeral arrangements, viewing of the body, and related practices.
   
• To be provided with time, privacy, freedom from coercion, confidentiality, and (if desired) the services of an appropriate support person (e.g., clergyperson) and other resources (e.g., a second medical opinion, advice from significant others, or the services of an interpreter for those who speak another language) which are essential to optimal care for the family and to enable family members to make an informed and free decision about donation.
   
• To have their decisions about organ and/or tissue donation accepted and respected.
   
• To have opportunities to spend time alone with their loved one before and/or after the process of removing donated organs and/or tissues, and to say their "goodbyes" in a manner that is appropriate to the present and future needs of the family consistent with their cultural and religious identity (e.g., a lock of hair ).
   
• To be assured that their loved one will be treated with respect throughout the process of removing donated organs and/or tissues.
   
• To receive timely information that is suited to the family's needs and capacities about which organs and/or tissues were or were not removed, and why.
   
• To receive timely information regarding how any donated organs and/or tissues were used, and, if desired, to be given an opportunity to exchange anonymous communications with individual recipients and/or recipient family members. Upon request, donor families should also be given accurate updates on the condition of the recipients.
   
• To be assured that the donor family will not be burdened with any expenses arising from organ and/or tissue donation, and to be given assistance in resolving any charges that might erroneously be addressed to the family.
   
• To receive ongoing bereavement follow-up support for a reasonable period of time. Such support might take the form of: the name, address, and telephone number of a knowledgeable and sensitive person with whom they can discuss the entire experience; an opportunity to evaluate their experience through a quality assurance survey; free copies of literature about organ and/or tissue donation; free copies of literature about bereavement, grief, and mourning; opportunities for contact with another donor family; opportunities to take part in a donor or bereavement support group; and/or the services of a skilled and sensitive support person.

   
Bereavement - The Child in His/Her Family (PDF)
Children and Suicidal Thoughts (PDF)
Children's Responses to Bereavement (PDF)
Communicating with Children About Loss (PDF)
Coping With Angry Feelings (PDF)
Helping the Bereaved Child At School (PDF)
Helping the Bereaved Child's Classmates (PDF)
Implications of Bereavement on Children's Development 3-7 years (PDF)
Implications of Bereavement on Children's Development 7-11 years (PDF)
Implications of Bereavement on Children's Development Teens (PDF)
Sibling Bereavement (PDF)
When Young Adults Grieve (PDF)
When Young People Don't Want Therapy (PDF)
Other Suggested Reading (PDF)