Who can be a donor?
Anyone can be a potential organ, eye and tissue donor, from newborn to
senior citizen. Eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis at
the time of death and may be affected by medical/social history, cause
of death, etc.
How do I become a donor?
- Tell your family. Hospitals will not remove any organs or tissue without permission from the donor’s family.
- Join the Oklahoma Organ Donor Registry when renewing your driver’s license, or online at http://www.lifeshareoklahoma.org/registry/
How are recipients selected?
Law under the National Transplant Act strictly mandates the selection process. A carefully monitored system allows full and equal access to donated organs and tissues for all potential recipients.
Criteria for deciding which person on the waiting list will receive organs or tissues from a particular donor depends on factors such as the tissue and blood type, body size and the degree of illness of the potential recipient.
Is there any cost or payment for organ/tissue donation?
The donor’s family estate is never changed for the removal of any organs, nor do they receive any compensation.
Does organ/tissue donation affect funeral practices?
No. Families may make final funeral arrangements, including an open casket funeral, for burial or cremation.
Is there a conflict between using any organs/tissues and saving my life?
No. Donation is not considered until all efforts to save a person have failed. The transplant team has no involvement in the patient’s care prior to death and is notified only after death has occurred.
What organs/tissues can be donated?
Organs that can be donated are the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas and kidneys.
Among the tissues can be donated are corneas to restore sight, bone to prevent amputation, heart valves for children born with heart problems or adults with heart disease, tendons to replace damaged tissues in injured joints, saphenous veins for bypass surgeries and skin as a temporary covering to reduce pain and infection in burn victims. Up to 50 people can benefit from a single donor.
How is donation viewed by my religion?
All major western religions support donation as a final, charitable act of giving to others.
FACTS FAMILIES SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DONATION
Today, all across Oklahoma, thousands of people are able to live fuller and more productive lives because of the lifesaving decisions made by families like yours. Although it is hard to believe at the time, it is possible for something positive to come from death...a new life for someone else.
Many donor families have found comfort in knowing that they and their loved one have helped life go on for someone else.
Families of prospective donors must give their permission before donation of a loved one’s organs and tissues can occur. It is much easier for your family to make the decision to donate if they know your wishes ahead of time.
Will organ/tissue donation affect the level of medical care my loved one receives?
No. Donation is never considered until all efforts to save your loved one have failed.
How does the family communicate an individual’s wish to donate organs/tissues?
Federal law states that hospitals must offer you the option of donating your loved one’s organs. But don’t wait to be asked. Approach the hospital staff or coroner’s staff and make your loved one’s wishes known.
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