Journeys in Organ Donation and Transplantation

Some journeys are easier than others. When we go to school, the shops, or work we usually know the way there, what to expect and what we’ll see along the way. But what if we need a solid organ transplant or care for someone who does? Perhaps we are considering being a living donor for a kidney or liver transplant.

Maybe we are thinking about a career in organ donation and transplantation research. What would these journeys be like? To try and answer this question the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Organ Donation and Transplantation (BTRU in ODT) created the Journeys project.

Going back into history, the people of ancient times understood the world according to what they observed and what they learned through education and folk tales. Early Roman map makers used their senses and experience, and how a journey felt, to create a plan of the land.

The Journeys project used the same ideas. Using ‘narrative wayfinding’, we spoke to transplant recipients, living donors, carers, and researchers. We asked them questions, talked about their experiences, and used collage and plasticine modelling to create a map of their journey. We also thought about objects. The things which remind us of something or that we have an emotional attachment to.

This publication is commissioned by NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Organ Donation and Transplantation