FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT DONATION
- How many people can an organ or tissue donor help?
- Who can be a donor?
- What does brain death mean?
- What can I do now to show my intent to become a donor?
- Which organs may be donated?
- Can I sell my organs?
- When are organs recovered?
- Is there any cost to the donor family?
- Can the donor family have a normal funeral?
- Does my religion support organ and tissue donation?
- Can the recipient and donor family contact each other?
- How does the waiting list work?
- How successful are transplants?
- What happens if the organ is rejected?
- I currently have or in the past had a serious disease. Can I still be a donor?
- Can I donate my organs to a specific individual?
- What is tissue donation?
1. How many people can an organ or tissue donor help?
An organ donor can save the lives of up to 8 people, while tissue donors can save or enhance the lives of up to 50 more.
2. Who can be a donor?
Donors can range in age from several weeks to 75 or older. In almost all instances, only patients who are brain dead can donate vital organs. The patient or specific organs may be ruled out based on a detailed medical evaluation. Prior to recovering organs, we must receive consent from the donor via the state-authorized Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry or a signed donor card or, in lieu of these documents, from the next of kin.
3. What does brain death mean?
"Brain death" is a medically, legally and morally accepted determination of death resulting from the lack of blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Unlike a coma, the brain is no longer functioning in any capacity and never will again. See Understanding Brain Death
4. What can I do now to be a donor?
You can become a donor by registering with the state-authorized Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org. If you are not registered or have not signed a donor card, your family will be requested to give their consent before your wishes are honored.
5. Which organs can be donated?
The most commonly transplanted organs are the kidneys, liver and heart. The lungs (often in conjunction with the heart) and pancreas are also commonly transplanted, while occasionally the small intestine is transplanted as well. Learn how each organ and tissue benefits recipients.
6. Can I sell my organs?
No. As stated in the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984, the sale of human organs is illegal. Under federal law, violators are subject to fines and imprisonment.
7. When are organs recovered?
Organs can survive only for a limited amount of time outside the body. Our standard procedures call for removing the organs within 24 hours of brain death and transplantation within the following 24 hours.
8. Is there any cost to the donor family?
A donor’s family is never charged for donation. From the moment a family gives consent for donation, OneLegacy bears the costs associated with the recovery of organs and tissue for transplantation. (Being a nonprofit, our costs are subsequently recovered from the transplant centers and Medicare.) However, hospital expenses incurred before the donation and all funeral expenses are the responsibility of the family.
9. Can the donor family have a normal funeral?
Throughout the process, OneLegacy treats the body with a great deal of respect and dignity. An open casket funeral may be planned and no one except those directly involved, will know about the donation.
10. Does my religion support organ and tissue donation?
All organized religions support donation, with many considering it a generous act that is the individual's choice. See Religious Views on Organ Donation
11. Can the recipient and donor family contact each other?
While names are kept confidential and are not given to the donor or recipient families, OneLegacy sends a letter to the donor family informing them what organs were used, the age and perhaps other information about the recipient(s). In addition, recipients will often write letters of thanks to the donor families. Future direct contact may be arranged if mutually agreed upon.
12. How does the waiting list work?
Primary care physicians determine whether their patients should be referred to a transplant center for evaluation. Following extensive tests, if it is determined that the patient is a good candidate for transplantation, the center adds the patient’s name to the center’s as well as national waiting lists. In the United States, the national waiting list is maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) under the authority of the Healthcare Resources Services Administration (HRSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
13. How successful are transplants?
The success of heart transplantation obviously varies according to risk factors prior to transplantation. In general the success rate of the surgery is close to 95% in most centers on the average. Furthermore, if you survive the initial 30 days the chances are close to 90% that you will be alive at the end of the first year. For survival statistics on all organs, visit United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
14. What happens if the organ is rejected?
The rate of rejection varies by organ from about 30% to 60%, but rejection does not mean that the organ is lost. Over 90% of rejection can be treated with medications. But multiple rejection episodes may be difficult or impossible to reverse, and may result in total rejection.
15. I currently have or in the past had a serious disease. Can I still be a donor?
Thanks to the advances in medical technology, there are very few diseases that automatically exclude someone from being an organ or tissue donor. All potential donors are given a complete medical evaluation at the time of death.
- Cancer: For an individual who had cancer but has been cancer free for many years, it is possible to become a donor.
- Lupus does not immediately preclude you from donation. The health of your individual organs is determined by the evaluation.
- Diabetes: This would depend on the type of diabetes and the amount of time the individual was being treated for it.
- Hepatitis: A past history or exposure to hepatitis does not automatically exclude a person from being a donor.
- HIV: Although there are risks of disease transmission, the health of your individual organs is determined by the medical evaluation.
Exclusions to tissue donation include presence of systemic infection, history of rheumatoid arthritis or connective tissue disorders, Hepatitis B or C, Malaria, untreated Syphilis, HIV & AIDS, malignancy, intravenous drug abuse and other evidence of clinical significance.
16. Can I donate my organs to a specific individual?
At the time that a family is approached regarding donation, they may elect to donate one or more organs to a specific individual. In most cases an organ is directed to a family member or a close friend. As in all cases of organ donation, the organ must be medically compatible with the recipient.
17. What is tissue donation?
Individuals may choose to donate tissues as well as organs. People who suffer from blindness, burns, damaged bones or serious back or knee injuries are among those who can he helped through tissue donation.