General
Transplant nicknames
November 5, 2025
in General
Do you have a nickname for your transplant? I call mine my Lego piece. At first, my Lego piece felt too big for my body. We are good now. So, yeah. Do you have a nickname for your special gift?
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How many years post transplant are you?
because I think mine is feeling big for me especially after a meal or a bit of walking
@BabyJ25 It will be two years in January. January 11th. It felt really big the first six months. Normal after the first year.
I always call my transplants(kidney and pancreas) by my donor’s first name. This I do only to myself and do it with gratitude to my donor.
I named my liver "LuLu". We knew it was gifted from a young lady, but that's all we knew at the time. For several years after that, even though I'm a guy, my LuLu would get "girly" type Christmas gifts like pink slippers and such. I would walk thru stores and want to touch all the fabrics, ask directions (which guys won't do), and things like that. It was kind of fun.
Had more than one person think it was disrespectful but it wasn't. I'll always love my LuLu and my donor. When I finally met my donor's Mom a few years post-transplant I shared the LuLu name with her and she thought it was great!
@22ncounting That's so beautiful. Thank you.
@SteveJPearson That's really awesome. I don't think it is disrespectful to give a name to honor your gift and donor. I love them.
I think when I first woke up after surgery, the first thing I thought of was a Lego piece. One was taken away and another donated. I think I needed to see it that way to get through the trauma of the surgery. The Lego name stuck.
It is trauma. Isn't it? I saw a movie this summer where an actress receiving a kidney died a few days post transplant. I not an emotional man, but I rained downed tears for 20 minutes and quietly sobbed. My transplant was 13 years ago. You'd think I'd get over it by now.
I was in so much pain when I woke up. It was for sure trauma. I had to have a second surgery to fix a leak, and that was less trauma, but still. I think we will carry that with us no matter how long it has been.
my homie/homeboy
@Melpbcn So cool.
Pre-transplant I called my liver in waiting Howard and I can’t say why. I have a crocheted liver made on Etsy from a friend and that liver never left my side. I found out post transplant that my donor was male so Howard fit perfectly! Some of my doctors would do rounds and ask me how Howard was doing that morning. I then was in contact with my donor’s family and found out his name is Johnny. So now he is Johnny of course. I still have my crocheted liver on my bed and its name is still Howard. I believe naming your organ is cathartic, it makes the process more personal. Thanks for the question, it is a good one.
I received a second chance with a heart transplant in 2022 and kidney transplant in 2024. I have a new start with new parts, well pre-owned and certified.
I hope to get to know my donor. No word on my letter yet. I understand if I never hear back, but there's always hope. I know him anyway.