The gift of life: an existential phenomenological exploration of receiving a lifesaving organ transplant and how this affects life subsequently

At present, there is little research conducted on organ transplantation from the perspective of the organ recipient. This study aimed to explore the experience of undergoing lifesaving organ transplantation and how this may affect life subsequently. For the purpose of this research, lifesaving transplants constituted as solid organ transplants, these being heart, lung, liver, and kidney. Six participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews focusing on the experience of undergoing the transplantation procedure, and how this affected their life following this. The data in the form of the participants' accounts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis - IPA. Five superordinate themes were identified with 19 subordinate themes falling within these. The superordinate themes were; Embodied Experience which related to the participants’ physical world and their experiences of this, Life & Death relating to the participants’ experience of existence and mortality, Relationships relating to the participants’ actual or intended modes of relating to others in the world, Temporality relating to the participants’ experience of time, and The Psychological relating to the participants’ experiences of their inner world and the relationship they hold with themselves. Consideration and discussion of these themes were conducted, highlighting the implications these findings hold for the field of Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy, with a nod to Existential literature and philosophy interwoven within this. The study concludes that organ recipients undergoing transplantation experience an array of bio-psycho-social-spiritual issues that professionals working with this population need to be aware of. It is argued that appropriate and sufficient evidence-based interventions should be developed and offered to all those undergoing the transplant treatment as standard in the provision of care provided to this population. Unfortunately, at present psychological support for organ recipients is only offered as and when a need ‘arises’.