Transplant, through a chaplain's eyes

Wendy Wyche

As the Emory Transplant Center chaplain, Wendy Wyche helps patients and families navigate the emotional and spiritual challenges of transplantation.

She shares that experience here:

"There's a lot of joy, healing, and transformation in transplant. But there's also a lot of waiting. Patients need to talk about fear and suffering, about making the most out of life and not being defined by chronic illness or their transplant. They often struggle to keep their jobs. The course of their life changes dramatically.

"Before we encounter a chronic or life-threatening illness, we often define ourselves by a relationship or a job. After suffering with illness for years and then receiving a transplant, many people experience a kind of rebirthing. That's a beautiful thing."

Wyche also works with Emory faculty and staff to prevent compassion fatigue. "If someone constantly loses things and people and doesn¿t deal with the losses emotionally, they can burn out."

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