The lived experience of living liver donors : a phenomenological study

Thousands of Ontarians die annually waiting for a deceased donor liver transplant. Merging realities of chronic donor shortage and success of living kidney donation stimulated interest in living liver lobe donation. Remaining unexplained are the persistently low rates of live liver donation despite media campaigns. The purpose of this qualitative study was, from a phenomenological approach, to explore and understand the meaning of the lived experience of living liver donors. Four participants in this study felt personal enhancement through donation while acknowledging present gaps in living donor awareness. Arising from this current study, two themes emerged. These themes are: (1) The embodied experience of being a living liver donor and (2) Ethical responsibility to one another and to the world. Recommendations included establishment of platforms and symposia for donors to speak about donation experiences. Living liver donors have much to offer in reimaging current donation awareness campaigns.