You Are Not Alone

By Stephanie Guagliardo, Aftercare Support Coordinator

I have recently started to pursue my Master’s degree in Social Work. I hope that this degree will help me understand different perspectives and challenges, as grief is one of the many things that donor families may be dealing with. For instance, a donor family may not only be grieving the loss of a spouse but may also now be a single parent.

Grief is complex and it looks different for everyone. Those of us on the Aftercare Support team follow a companioning philosophy, walking alongside our donor families as they discover their “new normal.” While I learned about the companioning philosophy as related to grief, I am seeing that it can apply in many situations. I am not an expert in any area of someone else’s life and cannot lead them to what I perceive to be a better place; however, I can journey with people as they come to their own conclusions.

Connection has always been important to me. My biggest hope for my role is that donor families know that they are not alone. I am always honored to hear stories about our donor heroes, even when others may have stopped asking. I don’t presume to know what people need, but I am happy to offer a listening ear. Grief can be overwhelming, so I am also happy to connect families with additional grief support resources. Now, our donor families can even connect through our Donor Family Facebook page. One of my favorite things to do is to help donor families and recipients connect through writing or even meet each other. Whether it is with our team, other resources, each other, or recipients, I hope donor families know there are many ways to get what they need and that we are honored to help along the way.