Thank You Letter Program

“I always knew that organ and tissue donation was so important, but you don’t realize it until it hits home.”
- Tissue Recipient and Author of a Thank You Letter to a Donor Family

More than 30,000 families will agree to donate organs and tissues on behalf of their loved ones this year. It is estimated that approximately 25,000 families will give the gift of tissue – bones, tendons, ligaments, skin, heart valves, eyes – and another 8,000 will give the gift of organs for transplant.

Acknowledgment of the gift of organ and/or tissue donation is important to, and even expected by donor families. However, not all families receive acknowledgement from those who have benefited from the gift of donation. As a result of this unanswered need, it has not always been clear to donor families how the gift of donation impacts the lives of those who receive it.

Since 2002, the Thank You Letter program has offered recipients of organs and tissues assistance in writing to the families of their donors. To find out more, click on one of the subcategories.