Meetings between organ donees and donor’s family beneficial

Evidence is mounting that it is a good thing for an organ donor’s family and the donee to have contact.

The following is from Marilyn Elias, Heart-to-heart connections, USA Today, July 15, 2008, at 6D:
 

After a spouse in the prime of life or a beloved child dies, grief-stricken family members often find little solace anywhere.
 

But a surprising source of comfort is emerging for some. Among families who have donated their loved ones’ organs, there’s a growing trend to contact the recipients, say experts in the transplant field.
 

Although records aren’t kept on numbers of contacts, more whose lives were saved by an organ also are seeking out bereaved relatives to express gratitude and create new relationships. These unique bonds are mostly positive, hospital transplant coordinators say.
 

Research on effects of the new openness is sparse. But one small study suggests the contacts — often discouraged by transplant officials until the past several years — can be beneficial.
 

A few family members reported unwanted flashbacks to the relative’s death or felt guilt over resentment of the recipient’s health. But 89% found the contact a positive, healing experience, says study leader Pamela Albert of the New England Organ Bank.