Support for Families

Donors and their families are very special people. They have given an extraordinary gift. At a most difficult time, a decision was made to give other individuals the opportunity for a longer and better quality of life.

Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network) offers a Donor Family Support program to donor families, providing the offer of continued support, the opportunity to communicate anonymously with recipients and recognition for their courage, compassion and generosity.

Should a family wish, their relationship with TGLN may continue through opportunities to volunteer or assist in other ways. If you’d like to find out more, you can reach our family services team at: familyservices@giftoflife.on.ca

Stories of hope

Every donor family and recipient has a unique story to tell, and a unique experience to share. We invite you to take a moment to read and share their journeys. It may even inspire you to share how donation or transplantation changed your life or that of your family. Your stories are not only inspirational, but also have the power to heal, so please consider contributing. It’s worth it.

Do you have a story you want to share?
Contact us: familyservices@giftoflife.on.ca

Thinking of writing
a letter to your loved
one’s recipient?

The decision to write to transplant recipients is a personal one. Sharing information about your loved one may help in the grieving process. The choice to write or not, is yours to make. If you prefer, you may choose to send a card during a special holiday or a ‘thinking of you’ card instead of a letter.

If you decide to write, here are some guidelines to help you.

Writing Guidelines

Understanding Grief

As an organ and/or tissue donor family member there is no way to lessen or quicken the grieving process. Recovery from trauma and sadness is possible, but it takes time. You alone will set your own pace.

You don’t have to grieve alone. What’s Your Grief? is a website that features grief articles, courses, creative expression about shared experiences, community support and more.

Grief Support Resources

The following includes support information covering: Helping yourself with grief; Helping others with grief; For and about grieving children and teenagers; Help for hospices and other caregivers; Funerals, memorials, cremations and related topics; and Support for funeral directors.

Section 1: Helping Yourself with Grief

• Helping Yourself Heal When Someone Dies
• Helping Yourself Heal When Your Child Dies
• Helping Yourself Heal When Your Spouse Dies
• Helping Yourself Heal When a Parent Dies
• Helping Yourself When a Baby Dies
• Helping Yourself Heal During the Holiday Season
• Helping Dispel 5 Common Myths About Grief
• Helping Yourself Live When You Are Seriously Ill
• Helping Yourself Live When You Are Dying
• Exploring the Uniqueness of Your Suicide Grief
• Healing Your Traumatized Heart: Seeking Safety, Understanding, and Peace Part 1
• Healing Your Traumatized Heart: Seeking Safety, Understanding, and Peace Part 2
• Healing Your Grieving Body: Physical Practices for Mourners
• The Spiritual Path to Healing: An Introduction
• The Spiritual Path to Healing: Mourning Ideas, Part 1
• The Spiritual Path to Healing: Mourning Ideas, Part 2
• The Spiritual Path to Healing: Mourning Ideas, Part 3
• The Spiritual Path to Healing: Mourning Ideas, Part 4
• Dispelling the Misconceptions About Suicide and Grief and Mourning

Section 2: Helping Others with Grief

• Helping a Friend in Grief
• Helping a Man Who is Grieving
• Helping a Friend Who is Dying
• Helping a Friend Who is Seriously Ill
• Helping a Suicide Survivor Heal
• Helping a Homicide Survivor Heal
• Helping a Grandparent Who Is Grieving
• Helping a Grieving Friend in the Workplace
• Helping AIDS Survivors Heal
• Helping SIDS Survivors Heal
• Helping Your Family When a Member is Dying
• Helping Your Family When a Member is Seriously Ill
• Helping Your Family Cope When a Pet Dies
• Helping Your Family Decide if Organ and Tissue Donation is Right for You

Section 3: For and About Grieving Children and Teenagers

• Helping Children Cope with Grief
• Helping Teenagers Cope with Grief
• Helping Infants and Toddlers When Someone They Love Dies
• Helping Children with Funerals
• Helping Children Understand Cremation
• Helping a Child Who is Seriously Ill
• Helping a Child Who is Dying
• Helping Grieving Children at School
• Helping Bereaved Siblings Heal

Section 4: For Hospices and Other Caregivers

• Companioning the Bereaved: An Introduction
• Tenet 1: Companioning Principle
• Tenet 2: Companioning Principle
• The Awesome Power of "Telling The Story": Why I'm Proud to be a Grief Counselor
• Caregiver as Gardener: A Parable
• Companioning vs. Treating: Beyond The Medical Model of Bereavement Caregiving
• Growing Through Grief: The Role of Support Groups
• Responding to Problems in the Support Group Setting
• The Bereavement Caregiver's Self-Care Guidelines

Section 5: Funerals, Memorials, Cremation and Related Topics

• Helping Your Family Personalize the Funeral
• Helping Create a Meaningful Eulogy
• Ten Freedoms for Creating a Meaningful Funeral
• Why is the Funeral Ritual Important?

Section 6: For Funeral Directors

• It's the Experience That Counts: Funeral Home Customer Service for Today's Families
• And We Wonder Why People Question the Need for Funerals...
• Creating Excellence in Customer Service
• The Dirty Dozen of Customer Service
• E-Serving Families: How Your Website Should Help Your Customers
• Listening to (and Satisfying) the Never-Satisfied Customer

Additional Resources

Dr. Wolfelt, Founder and Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition has written two articles intended to provide a measure of comfort for those journeying through grief.

The Journey Through Grief

The Mourner's Bill of Rights

Additional Information

Donor Family Support Material

Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network) has developed a package of support materials as part of our continuing Family Services and Aftercare Program.

Understanding Neurologically Determined Death.
Writing to Your Donor Family.

Understanding Neurologically Determined Death

This booklet is designed to assist in answering the questions that often arise when we are confronted with terms like "neurologically determined death" or "brain death."

View PDF

Writing to Your Donor Family

This brochure aims at assisting transplant recipients in writing to their donor family. Inside are tips and suggestions on how to start and close your letter. Also, you can find sample phrases if you find yourself unable to find the words to express yourself.