Family Resources

Evelyn Doyle and Heather Doyle, Sister and Mother to Donor Hero Trevor Doyle

Families deserve compassionate care, clear guidance, and trusted support at every step of the donation process.

OurLegacy’s Family Support team is here before, during, and long after donation, offering comfort that honors each loved one’s legacy.

CONNECT WITH FAMILY CARE

Support We Provide

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    Compassionate Listening

    Space for questions, emotions, beliefs, and traditions throughout the donation process.

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    Ongoing Connection

    Updates after donation, delivery of Legacy Boxes, and invitations to remembrance events and volunteer opportunities.

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    Support for Outreach

    Guidance for writing to recipients and help facilitating future connections when both families wish to be in touch.

Writing to Recipients

Writing can be a beautiful way to connect and heal. 

Many donor families find comfort in sharing letters with their loved one’s recipient. These messages are exchanged through OurLegacy and Transplant Centers, beginning anonymously and becoming transparent only if both sides choose. Every letter is a heartfelt choice—some families may receive a reply quickly, others years later, and sometimes not at all. Recipients may hesitate to write as they navigate emotions of gratitude, sadness, or hope. When a recipient does send a letter, OurLegacy gently reaches out to the donor family, creating the possibility of a meaningful bond.

A close-up image of a fountain pen, some purple and white flowers, and handwritten text on paper, with a Polaroid-style border against a black background.
Blue envelope with a heart-shaped seal and string. 
Your Letter

Include your first name, relationship to the donor, stories or memories about your loved one that you would like to share.

Send to – Attn: Family Care, OurLegacy, 900 Winderley Place, Suite 2200, Maitland, FL  32751.

CONNECT WITH US FOR MORE GUIDANCE

Aftercare Engagement

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    Knit Hope

    Every donor hero is honored with a knit or crocheted blanket made by a caring community member. We invite you to create blankets to honor donor heroes.

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    Families Caring for Families

    Donor Hero Legacy Boxes are assembled by donor family volunteers, offering comfort, care, and understanding to another family as they begin to heal. This act of care reflects the compassion that connects our donor community.

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    Quilts

    In remembrance of their life and legacy, OurLegacy works with donor families to honor their loved one with a handcrafted quilt square. These squares create handmade quilts that represent the precious tapestries of life, inspiring our community at events across Central Florida.

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    Handmade Hope

    Families gather several times throughout the year for handcrafted memory making to honor their hero and share their legacy.

CONNECT WITH US TO GET INVOLVED
Four women standing behind a table with multiple closed white boxes, smiling. Large windows overlooking trees and water in the background.
An elderly man and a young girl at an outdoor event celebrating a charity run. They are both wearing bright yellow-green t-shirts with the event details and medals around their necks. The man is holding up his medal and smiling, while the girl is hol
Close-up of a quilt with a central panel featuring a painted red rose with green leaves and tendrils, surrounded by multiple patterned fabric sections.
A young boy in a bright yellow T-shirt with a marathon logo, smiling at the finish line of a charity run, with other participants and spectators in the background on a sunny day.
A smiling woman with gray hair, glasses, and a denim jacket standing behind a table of colorful crochet blankets, holding a blanket in her hand in a room with a teal wall and window blinds.
Close-up of a quilt featuring two embroidered hummingbirds and a personalized name label, "Roxanne Elaine Whitmore," with a blue embroidered border and patterned fabric in the background.
Two women smiling and holding a sign that reads "MomStrong" at an outdoor community event, with a crowd of people in the background.
Two women standing indoors holding open boxes with a floral design and tissues inside, with stacked boxes in the background. They are smiling and wearing name tags.
A multicolored crocheted blanket with pastel shades of pink, blue, yellow, and cream, draped over a teal armchair.
A memorial quilt square with a black-and-white photo of a young boy, labeled 'Beloved Son,' 'Beloved Brother,' and 'Beloved Father.' The name "Danny 'Boy' Richardson" and birth and death dates, June 4, 1971 to June 7, 1995, are embroidered around the
Portrait of a woman with long, dark hair, wearing a beige T-shirt, looking slightly to the left, against a plain light background.

COORDINATOR SPOTLIGHT

Zuli Clavell Ramos

As a Family Support Coordinator, Zuli offers compassionate support to families when conversations about donation begin, helping them understand their loved one’s wishes and the possibilities of donation with clarity and dignity. She helps slow the moment down so loved ones can grieve, ask questions, and understand what donation can mean for their loved one’s legacy.

Her years working with pediatric transplant recipients showed her firsthand how a donor’s gift can change a life — allowing a child to grow up, and a parent to celebrate their milestones. That perspective helps her gently connect grief with hope and remind families how their loved one’s legacy can live on.

Zuli works closely with OurLegacy’s clinical teams and partner hospitals to ensure families feel cared for and supported at every step. She understands how cultural beliefs and misconceptions can shape decisions, and she values being a trusted source of honest, compassionate guidance.

Through every conversation, Zuli embodies OurLegacy’s commitment to integrity, advocacy, and compassion.

“When we are talking to families, we share that they have an opportunity to honor their loved one, to have a legacy that lives on, and they see that it can make such a beautiful impact on another person.”
— Zuli
Resource Hub

Remembrance Day

Each November, OurLegacy hosts Remembrance Day, an annual gathering that celebrates our donor heroes and honors the incredible gifts they shared. Families come together to reflect on their loved ones’ lives and the impact of their selfless decisions, surrounded by others who understand the depth of loss and the healing power of donation. The event features stories from recipients, reflections from OurLegacy’s Executive Director, and displays such as memory quilts and personal mementos that beautifully honor each donor’s legacy. Invitations are extended to families whose donations occurred six to sixteen months earlier, offering them a meaningful moment to gather, remember, and feel held by a community that shares their experience.


VIEW OUR EVENTS CALENDAR
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Grief Support

OurLegacy offers a curated list of grief support organizations for families, children, teens, and adults. These programs include support groups, workshops, and counseling for many kinds of loss, including illness, accident, suicide, and infant loss. Whether you’re seeking a peer group, a faith-based option, or resources for younger family members, these organizations can help you find community.

Please note: programs may have their own schedules, eligibility requirements, or fees. We encourage families to contact each organization directly for the most current information.


Two women in denim jackets with patches and pins, photographed from behind, and two women sitting together smiling, one wearing turquoise blouse and the other in blue scrubs.

FAMILY SPOTLIGHT

Ellen & Tasha

When Ellen and Tasha met at OurLegacy’s Remembrance Day, they felt an instant connection — one strengthened by a series of uncanny coincidences: their donor hero sons share the same birthday, their own birthdays are only a day apart, and the Legacy Box Tasha received after her son’s passing had been lovingly assembled, unknowingly, by Ellen herself. Through gatherings, volunteer work, and shared grief, OurLegacy became the place where their friendship took root and where they’ve found the support, understanding, and community they didn’t know they needed. Their bond reflects what OurLegacy makes possible: a space where families can honor their loved ones and heal, together.

“OurLegacy really helped. They are like family. You do not want to be a part of this club, but it is the best support system. You can really connect with people – we had an instant connection.”
— Tasha & Ellen