Dear Family of Donor,
I wanted to sincerely apologize for the loss of your loved one. Through your loss, I was given life.
I truly and sincerely appreciate the gift of the donated liver, which has given me my life back. I would not have survived without the donated liver.
To briefly discuss my medical situation, I thought I had caught the flu but instead it was a virus. The virus began by attacking my liver to the point where I was put on dialysis for 100% of my body because all of my organs began to shut down. The doctors stated that if I did not receive a liver within one week I would not make it and that my family should begin to say their good byes.
I was placed in the number one slot for a liver transplant in three states to include California, Nevada and Oregon bypassing 100s of thousands of recipients. In less then 24 hours, a match was found. Which was the organ donated from your family. It was a perfect match.
I am 48 years old and raised my daughter as a single parent. She is now 25 years old and graduated from college. This entire event has changed my life in so many ways. I have re-evaluated my life to the point to truly believe that life is a gift that can be freely taken. So instead of complaining, to be grateful that I have truly been given a chance to live, a chance to love, and a chance to make a difference in the world.
I currently live in Central California but growing up, I spent most of my childhood in San Diego. I was not surprised that my donor, to my understanding was from the San Diego area. I was born and raised in Hawaii, however, chose to leave the island to further my education and work here in California. I am still in recovery for the next few months. I hope you will respond and tell me some information about my donor and his family. Again, no matter if you decide to respond, I will never forget the gift that was given to me. I cannot express my gratitude enough.
Anonymous