There is nothing quite like going through the experience of having a Transplant. If you know, you know. Waiting for the life-saving call that a donor has been found, phone glued to your hand, a rush of adrenaline through your body every time the phone rings, even though it turns out to be just another sales call. Hoping more than anything else that it comes in time, but dreading the operation at the same time.
And then, the actual call. A scurry of bags, phone calls, filling the car with petrol and off to the Transplant Hospital with fingers and toes crossed.
Of course, everyone’s experience is so different, and this isn’t about what happened in my family. This blog post is just to say, yep, I hear you, I see you. So many mixed emotions – fear, excitement, sadness for the organ donor, gratitude, overwhelm, exhaustion and every other emotion in-between.
Impartial Counselling
When I decided to become a Counsellor so many years ago, one of the things that I really wanted to offer was Counselling that was impartial and nothing at all to do with hospitals or medical notes. Somewhere neutral, where the emotional side of the whole thing could be examined. That is what I hope I have achieved.
One of the upsides of Covid-19 (and let’s face it there aren’t many), is that we are tending to become more comfortable with using Zoom and online technology. This has really made it possible to expand this side of my Practice and reach people going through the Transplant Process across the UK.
The Transplant Community
Whilst I was studying, I did a Research Study on “What role the Transplant Games has on life after transplant for paediatric patients and their families”. It really showed the strength of the Transplant Community as a place for emotional support. Also, it highlighted that the impacts of transplant were felt by the whole family in various ways.
If you are somewhere along the Transplant journey yourself or are a parent of a child going through a Transplant, please do get in touch if you’d like to book in for some Counselling sessions. Please note that I am currently only working with adults and not young people themselves.
And finally, I do hope you like my photo of the game of Operation for old times sake. I still can’t do the ‘bread basket’ one – I’m not quite sure what a bread basket is. As I say, I don’t do the medical part of the Transplants thankfully, so don’t worry!
For further information about Organ donation and transplants, visit NHSBT (NHS Blood and Transplant, formerly known as UK Transplant) www.organdonation.nhs.uk
