Leaving the experts: Experiences of liver transplant recipients in New Zealand 

Reflections on Nan’s liver transplant

“…Following a liver transplant, patients experience an exceptional improvement in quality of life (Beilby et al, 2003). Wainwright's (2011aWainwright's ( , 2011b research revealed a number of themes that are relevant to Nan's transplant. These were: gratitude-recipients are grateful for the gift of a donor's liver; liver transplantation as a transformative experiencerecipients reassess their lives and reprioritise what is important in life; and communicating with donor families-recipients permitted to write an anonymous letter to the family of a donor, the delivery of which was coordinated by the NZLTU.…”

“…She was also permitted by the NZLTU to write an anonymous letter to the family of her donor, through which she expressed her tremendous gratitude. According to Wainwright (2011a), experiencing a liver transplant roused or changed the patients' perceptions of faith and spirituality in the Divine. Nan had always been a woman of faith (Rangiwai, 2019) with religious beliefs based in the teachings of the Ringatū Church (Rangiwai, 2015).…”