With Thanks, Respect and Love

Dear Donor Family,

It has been over two months since I received from you the most generous gift anyone has ever given me: a kidney and pancreas from your loved one.  As I gather my thoughts and reflect, my mind often wanders to your family, wondering how you are, imagining you recovering from your loss and wishing you strength now and always.  

I wonder about meeting you, I wonder if you would welcome this idea. I wonder how difficult it must be living with the loss of your loved one.  On the day I celebrate my new beginning, I wonder how you are mourning the last day of his life.  I wonder if this letter, filled with my own optimism and gratitude, will cause further grief, knowing that it was the death of your loved one that fueled my new beginning.
  
I hope that in reading how his generous gift has brought about my new beginning, you will find comfort in knowing what a valuable impact your loved one, my hero, has made.

This new beginning is miraculous for me.  My twenty-two year struggle with diabetes and  two-year battle with kidney failure are over. I am no longer plagued by insulin shots, dialysis, high blood pressure, a heart condition, high cholesterol or anemia. My children no longer bear the burden of my limitations. 

How do I express my appreciation for the gifts you have given me? How do I thank the family whose grave loss renewed my life? I haven't figured this out yet, and I hope that this letter is a start.  I hope that you find some solace in knowing that our appreciation for your generosity is limitless.  

I know that my new-found life is only possible because of your family's selfless act, a selfless act that unveiled your generous and benevolent spirit even in your darkest hour. I promise you that this selfless act will never be taken for granted.  I look forward to learning more about you and your loved one, celebrating his life and honoring his memory. I promise to carry him with me, to take good care of him and to honor him with everything I do.

Please accept our deepest sympathies and our sincerest gratitude.                       

With thanks, respect and love,   

Michelle, Gabriella and Campbell