Transplants: The One Hope

The author is the father of a seven-year old child who was shot in an attempted robbery, whose organs and corneas were donated to seven people. He traces the impact of decisions to donate organs at a time when COVID-19 has brought an unprecedented level of stress on health services. He notes that, although most countries make it either difficult or impossible for donor families to communicate with their recipients, even if both sides want to, tens of thousands of families in the United States have written to each other, or even met face to face, with therapeutic results in the great majority of cases.