FAMILY SERVICES
Family Services Program
OneLegacy�s Family Services Program believes that donors and donor families are true heroes who are deserving of our best care, support and encouragement. From our initial contact with the family in the hospital and continuing on during the weeks and months after the death of their loved one, our specially trained staff focus on providing resources for emotional support, practical information, and guidance. The family services program includes bereavement literature, grief support referral, follow-up letters, telephone calls, gatherings and events to honor and remember donors.
We also coordinate communication between donor families and organ transplant recipients. Donor families and recipients may correspond anonymously with each other whenever they so choose according to specified guidelines. If a donor family and recipient express mutual interest in direct contact or a meeting, the OneLegacy family coordinator and a representative from the recipient's transplant center will facilitate this.
The Companion Newsletter
The Companion, a newsletter dedicated to donor families, is a relatively new component of the Family Services Aftercare Program. Our goal with The Companion is to help connect donor families through stories and shared experiences, to provide articles that address grief and the healing journey, and to provide donor families with information about events related to organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Go here to download current and back issues of The Companion.
Fields of Gold Donor Remembrance Ceremonies
Every March, OneLegacy hosts three to four Fields of Gold Donor Remembrance Ceremonies to celebrate the lives and honor the families of those who have given the gift of organ and/or tissue donation. These inspirational events, themed after Sting's song of remembrance, are laden with heartfelt emotion as loved ones are remembered for their generosity in both life and, however untimely, death.
We as a society are fortunate that these families have given so generously at such a difficult time. A single organ donor can save the lives and families of up to seven others facing dire illness, while a tissue donor can dramatically improve the quality of life of up to 50 people suffering from burns, heart problems, bone, spinal and dental defects, and traumatic injury. Their gifts are truly gifts of life.
Joining the families at the invitation-only events are doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and transplant recipients. The ceremonies typically feature:
- Renowned and inspiring keynote speakers
- Heartfelt testimonies by donor family members and transplant recipients
- Musical performances to open and accompany the event
- Display of OneLegacy's Bridging Lives Quilt
- A video presentation featuring photos and words of inspiration submitted by donor families
- Presentation of Life Bridges Pins & Pendants to donor families
- Recitation of a spiritual poem
- A dramatic release of birds or balloons to conclude the event
For more information, please contact Diane Green, Manager of Family Care at (213) 229-5215 or dgreen@onelegacy.org.