Organ transplantation is one of the marvels of modern medicine. The need for organ donors is much greater than the number of people who actually donate. More than 28,000 lives are saved every year by organ donors. However, more than 123,000 people in the United States are on the organ transplant waiting list. On average, 21 people die each day while waiting for a match.
The icon on your driver’s license showing that you’re an organ and tissue donor has a much greater impact than many of us realize. One organ donor has the potential to save eight lives and eye and tissue donors can enhance the lives of as many as 50 people. For some people with end-stage organ failure, it is truly a matter of life and death. Add to that the thousands more whose lives can be improved through tissue and cornea donations that can help them move, see and live better.
Many organs and tissues can be donated and transplanted. Organ donation has many positive effects on the donor and recipients who experience the greatest benefit. Even farther-reaching effects outside of the donors and recipients is the impact on families and friends who love and support those in need of a transplant. Organ donation can also be a rewarding and positive experience for the family of the donor. It can help a family work through the grieving process and deal with their loss by knowing their loved one is helping save the lives of others.
People of all ages, races and ethnicities, and even those with pre-existing health conditions can be potential donors. When a person dies, they are evaluated for donor suitability based on their medical history. The most important factor for a successful transplant is a compatible blood type between donor and recipient.
There is a national computerized list of patients waiting for organ donation. When a donor becomes available the computer identifies the best matched recipient for each organ. Some factors considered in matching include compatible blood and tissue types, similar body size, severity of patient illness and time on waiting list. The match for a recipient begins at a local level and moves to a national search if no local match exists. A patient’s financial or celebrity status does not affect the match or give them priority status.
“Organ donation is a personal decision and the ultimate gift one could bestow on another human being,” says Tina Stoebe MS, NPD-BC, CPAN, and Clinical Instructor for nursing professional development at Mather Hospital. “Invest time to become knowledgeable regarding the facts around organ donation so that you can make an educated decision. The most important part of this decision-making process is talking to your family and friends regarding your wishes. One day they may need tospeak on your behalf. Ways to be certainthat your wishes will be honored include registering on the liveonny.org website and including your wishes surrounding organ donation in your advance directives and any end of life documents,” Stoebe says.
Surveys show that 95 percent of adults in the United States support organ donation. Although most people support donation, one of the biggest obstacles to organ donation is simply getting people to register to become a donor. Start by doing your own research, talk to your family and friends to make your wishes known and register as a donor. It’s easy and can be done online. For more information visit organdonor.gov.
Mather Hospital respects the wishes of donors and family in assisting with the giving the gift of life. We work closely with LiveOnNYto coordinate organ donation. LiveOnNY is accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS, which oversees the organ transplant waiting list in the United States).
FAQs
One organ donor has the potential to save eight lives and eye and tissue donors can enhance the lives of as many as 50 people. For some people with end-stage organ failure, it is truly a matter of life and death.
What is the importance of human organ donation? ›
Donation is the giving of an organ and tissue to help someone that needs a transplant. A transplant can save or transform the life of a person. One organ donor can save up to 7 lives and help many more through eye and tissue donation.
What is the most important organ to donate? ›
Kidneys are the organs most frequently needed, followed by livers. Both of these organs can be donated by living donors to save someone's life. 85% of people awaiting a transplant need a kidney.
What disqualifies you from being an organ donor after death? ›
Medical History
Historically, the only diseases which exclude one from being an organ donor are HIV and metastatic cancer. However, several transplant centers in the nation have begun recovering organs for HIV + donors to be transplanted into HIV + recipients.
What is organ donation a gift for life? ›
Organ donation takes healthy organs and tissues from one person for transplantation into another. Experts say that the organs from one donor can save or help as many as 50 people. Organs you can donate include: kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs, skin, bone and bone marrow, cornea, etc.
How does organ donation affect people? ›
Overall, available data shows that organ donors fare very well over the long term. Donating an organ may also cause mental health issues, such as symptoms of anxiety and depression. The donated organ may not work properly in the recipient and cause feelings of regret, anger or resentment in the donor.
What are three facts about organ donation? ›
Fact: An open-casket funeral is possible for organ and tissue donors. Fact: There is no cost to the donor's family or estate for organ and tissue donation. Fact: Information about an organ donor is only released to the recipient if the family of the donor requests or agrees to it.
How many lives are saved by organ donation? ›
One deceased organ donor can save up to eight lives! Two donated kidneys can free two patients from dialysis treatments. One donated liver can be split to go to two patients on the wait list.
What are the benefits of living organ donors? ›
Benefits
- A shorter wait – Having a living donor means the patient no longer has to wait on dialysis. ...
- A better match – Some living donor transplants are done between family members who are genetically similar, but you can be a great match with someone you are not related to.
Many people would probably think it's the heart, however, it's the brain! While your heart is a vital organ, the brain (and the nervous system that attaches to the brain) make up the most critical organ system in the human body.
Advantages to this approach include eliminating the family consent barrier, reducing stress on families and staff, moving the decision about organ donation from a traumatic setting to a relaxed one, stimulating participation by increasing public awareness of the value of organ donation (since everyone would be forced ...
Which organ donated are the most successful? ›
Kidneys: Kidneys are the most needed and most commonly transplanted organ.
What does the Bible say about organ donation? ›
As Saint John tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) By knowingly choosing the donations of one's bodily organs, one is acting as Christ would act—giving life to humanity.
What happens to your heart if you are an organ donor? ›
Organs need a supply of oxygen-rich blood to remain suitable for transplantation. Donors are put on artificial respiration to keep their heart beating, so that oxygen-rich blood continues to circulate through their body. By contrast, tissue donation is often possible if the donor dies in a non-hospital setting.
Who cannot donate organs? ›
Do any medical conditions exclude someone from becoming an organ donor? Yes, some conditions such as an actively spreading cancer or infection, or heart disease, may prevent a person from becoming a donor. But you can still sign up as an organ donor regardless of any preexisting or past medical conditions.
What are the advantages of organ donation from living donors? ›
Shorter waiting time: Due to the lack of organs available for transplant, patients on the national transplant list often face long wait times (sometimes several years) before they are able to receive a transplant from a deceased donor. Patients who find a suitable living donor do not have to wait on the list.
How does organ donation work on life support? ›
Traditional organ donation requires a person to be in a hospital and on a ventilator when they are pronounced brain dead. If a person experiences cardiac death, which means the heart has stopped and will not work again, they will be evaluated for tissue and cornea donation.
Why should we care about organ donation? ›
Signing up to be an organ donor means you may someday be able to help others in need. Just one donor can provide lifesaving organs to up to eight people. One donor may also impact the lives of others with tissue donation. Not everyone who signs up as a donor is able to donate.
What is survival benefit in organ donation? ›
Life-years saved and median survival increased for all organs between 2012 and 2021. Compared to 2012, median survival increased in kidney (from 12.4 to 14.76 years), liver (from 11.6 to 14.59), heart (9.5 to 11.73), lung (5.2 to 5.63), pancreas-kidney (from 14.5 to 16.88), pancreas (from 13.3 to 16.10).
Organ transplantation is one of the marvels of modern medicine. The need for organ donors is much greater than the number of people who actually donate. More than 28,000 lives are saved every year by organ donors. However, more than 123,000 people in the United States are on the organ transplant waiting list. On average, 21 people die each day while waiting for a match.