THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF FAMILIES WHO DONATE THEIR NEONATE’S ORGANS

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the lived experience of families who donated their neonate’s organs at the end of life. The experiences of five mothers and one father were elicited from those who experienced this phenomenon. Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology served as the methodology as well as the guiding philosophy for this research study. Watson’s theory of Unitary Caring Science and the Caritas Processed provided the caring lens through which the research was completed. Deikelmann’s seven stage process for analysis was employed and through which four relative themes emerged: Enhancing the Fullness of the Baby, Celebrating the Ongoing Presencing of the Baby Within the Family, Ameliorating Grief through the Hope of Donation, and Being Embraced Within a Healing Environment. The four relational themes are represented with an aesthetic interpretation of the experience.