Post-donation evaluation of life of donors of liver transplantation

AbstractAim: Liver transplantation from living donors affects not only recipients’ but also donors’ lives. The aim of this study was to explore living donors’ experience of life. Methods: The sample consisted of 16 living donors who donated a part of their liver to a patient who had end-stage liver failure. Anonymised interview transcripts were analyzed following established conventions. Results: The analysis showed that participants evaluated their life in terms of limitations brought by organ donation surgery, awareness of the need for lifestyle changes, emotional changes, changes in character, and mixed relationships. Emotional changes involved the experience of both negative and positive emotions (feeling reputable, feeling like being born again). Changes in character included both worsening of character (becoming half human, turning into an aggressive person) and positive changes in character (becoming more of a believer and a humanist). Mixed relationships included feeling supported by loved ones an...