Deceased Donation

More than half of the people you see today are registered organ donors. Are you one of them?

Deceased organ, eye, and tissue donation is the process of giving an organ, eye, or tissue at the time of death so that another person may live or heal. At the end of your life, you have the power to give hope and life to others.

How Deceased Donation Works

For a person to become an organ donor, blood and oxygen must continue flowing through the organs until the time of recovery to ensure they remain viable. This typically happens when someone suffers a severe, irreversible brain injury caused by trauma, bleeding, swelling, or a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Only after every effort has been made to save the patient’s life, and tests confirm the complete absence of brain or brainstem activity, is brain death declared. At that point, donation becomes a possibility.

The Donation Decision

When donation is possible, the state and national Donate Life Registries are checked securely online to see if the individual had registered their decision. If the patient is not found in the registry, the next of kin or legally authorized representative (usually a spouse or a family member) is given the opportunity to authorize donation.

Families are then asked to provide a medical and social history. Donation and transplantation professionals review this information and determine which organs, eyes, or tissues can be transplanted and which patients on the national transplant waiting list will receive them.

The Gift of Life

Through deceased donation, one donor can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of more than 75 others. Even in loss, this ultimate act of generosity can bring healing, hope, and second chances.