Donor families

[RNHeartNurse]

If your unit takes care of patients who are organ donors, do you do anything special for the families? I want to start some kind of program at our hospital to help care for our donor families, but I would like ideas first. I would like it to be something unique and special. Perhaps something handmade, with a special card.

We end up caring for a donor patient about once every 1-2 months in our unit, if that helps.

Thank you you so much!

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

RNHeartNurse,

First off, I want to thank you for trying to initiate your idea of doing something special for donor families. I wish I could be of more assistance to you in helping you achieve your goal. Unfortunately, I have no experience with direct contact of donor families.

However, I can tell you that nothing would make me happier for you to succeed in your endeavor. I was given a "second chance" one and a half years ago via the gift of a kidney and pancreas from a donor. Although, I do not know who he/she was, there is not a day that goes by that I do not thank him when I wake up and when I go to bed (there were things that somewhat made me think it was a male, but I really don't know). There are not enough thank-yous I could ever say to show how appreciative I am of all that was given to me via their donation.

I wish you well and I hope others might be able to chime in to give you some great ideas.

[/username, BSN, RN]

Your page tells me that you're located in Arizona, so I would first reach out to donor network of arizona to see what support they already give to donor families, and then work based off of that. I would believe it to be more impactful if you supplemented, rather than duplicated the support that the family is already going to get. :)