Living donor transplants also have psychological benefits

When it comes to life-saving liver transplants in children, there are a variety of medical advantages to receiving organs from living donors compared to receiving organs from deceased donors. These benefits include reduced wait times, improved organ availability and quality, ease of scheduling, and improved medical outcomes. But are there emotional benefits as well?

in recent research was announced on advances in transplantationNurse scientist Annette Nasr, RN, PhD, and her colleagues set out to learn about the emotional and familial experiences of adults who donate part of their liver to their children. Dr. Nasr became interested in studying the long-term emotional effects of being a living donor while working as a transplant coordinator at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University. She said, “I always wondered what happened to the donors after they returned home and how their donations affected their family relationships.”

Dr. Nasr, who is also a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics and gastroenterology at Stanford University School of Medicine, and his colleagues conducted interviews with parental donors. They found that while there are physical and emotional risks to living donation, parents found it to be a “transformative” experience. This study found that parents who participated in living liver donation felt empowered because they were directly involved in saving their child’s life by donating a part of their body. did. The results also showed that donors felt empowered in situations they might otherwise feel out of control. One participant said, “With bio-related donation, we knew where the liver was coming from and were able to schedule it. It was a better match and the survival rate was better.”

Another effect observed was a focus on relationships, with many donors noting that their relationship with their child was “stronger than the normal parent-child bond.” One donor said the child’s behavior after the transplant showed they had “a great bond that goes a little beyond the norm.” She knows her mother did something special for her. ”

The study also revealed a growing awareness of communities and how they provide support before, during, and after transplant. Many of the donors had a desire to give back to the community.

“Every donor who participated experienced a life-changing event that changed them personally,” Nasr said. One parent donor said: It cleansed my mental state and built a new life by rebuilding my family and my inner self. ”

Their study found that after donating, parents became more than parents. They were “individuals who risked their lives to save the lives of children.” This experience not only strengthened family bonds, but also helped extend those bonds beyond themselves, beyond their families, and into their communities.