Organ donation is the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it into another person (the recipient). Transplantation is a life-saving gift that is extended to a person whose organ has failed or has been damaged by disease or injury.
Organ transplantation is one of the great advances in modern medicine. Unfortunately, the need for organ donors is much greater than the number of people who are actually able to donate. Every day in the United States, 21 people die waiting for an organ as more than 100,000 men, women and children await life-saving organ transplants.
The list of organs that can be successfully transplanted continues to grow as technology advances.
Currently organs that can be transplanted include:
Liver, Kidneys, Pancreas, Heart, Lungs, Intestine
The organ transplant waitlist is a pool of candidates who are registered to receive a life-saving organ transplant. When a donor organ become available the matching system generates a list of potential recipients. This list created based on organ type, medical urgency, time on waiting list, organ size, blood type and genetic characteristics. The goal is to match an organ with the most compatible recipient for the highest success rate. DonorConnect is not involved in the actual matching of organs with donors. This process is actually executed through the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).Â
Please visit https://unos.org/transplant/how-we-match-organs/ to learn more about the waiting list and the matching process.
DonorConnect’s Family Support Coordinators and staff are with the family throughout the donation process guiding and supporting them.
“A Guide for Families" booklet was created as an additional resource given to families with explanations about the donation processes, timelines, and resources to help them grieve.
