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Family
discussion the key to organ donation
Top 10 Myths About Donation
 There is a severe shortage of organ donors in this country. On Jan. 1, 2001, there were more than 74,000 patients on the national waiting list in need of an organ transplant. Unfortunately, during that same year there were less than 6,000
donors.
A new name is added to the UNOS waiting list every 18 minutes.
More than 6,000 of the patients on the national waiting list died during 1999 (about 16 patients per day or 500 per month) without receiving a transplant because there were not enough organs to transplant.
Of the 2.3 million people who die in the U.S. every year, fewer than one percent are eligible to be organ donors. Almost everyone, however, can be a tissue donor.
Donation does not disfigure the body or prevent an open casket funeral.
Donated organs are removed in a sterile, surgical procedure, similar to open heart surgery, in a hospital operating room by skilled surgeons.
Organ and tissue donation is considered only after all efforts to save the patient's life have been exhausted and death has been legally declared, or is imminent.
Signing a donor card, a driver's license or an advanced directive is not enough. The most important thing you can do, if you want to be a donor, is inform your family of your decision to donate, so they can carry out your wishes when the time comes.
Organ recovery coordinators will always explain the donation options to the family before requesting permission from the next of kin to recover the organs for transplantation. They will never go against the wishes of the family.
There is no major religion in the U.S. that is opposed to organ and tissue donation. In fact, many religions endorse organ and tissue donation as an act of
charity.
Few people are too old or too young to donate. Currently there are no age limits for donors. At the time of your death, medical professionals will determine whether your organs are transplantable.
Organs that can be transplanted are the heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver and intestines. Tissues that can be recovered for transplantation include: corneas, heart valves, bone, skin, veins and tendons.
The organ allocation system is blind to wealth, celebrity and social status. Donated organs are placed in recipients based on best medical match and most critical need.
No costs directly related to organ or tissue donation are passed on to the donor's family or estate.
Buying and selling of human organs is prohibited by Federal law.
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Family discussion
the key to organ donation
Every 18 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list in the United States. During the past seven years, the transplant waiting list has more than doubled from about 30,000 patients in 1993 to more than 78,000 men, women and children now awaiting heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas or small bowel transplants. Thousands more need donated corneas to restore sight; skin to heal burns; heart valves to replace diseased hearts; and bone to repair injured or diseased bones and joints.
Unfortunately, donations have not kept pace with the need. Although it is estimated that about 15,000 people die every year who can be organ donors, there have never been more than 6,000 donors in a year in the United States. As a result of this critical shortage, sixteen people die every day while waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
Ironically, surveys show that support for organ donation is very high. The problem is that few people ever tell their families about their wish to become a donor.
Sharing your decision to be an organ and tissue donor with your family is as important as making the decision itself.
At the time of your death, your family will be asked about donation. If your family has never discussed donation before, this becomes a very difficult decision that they must make at a very bad time in their lives. Sharing your decision with your family now will help them carry out your wishes later. It will also prevent confusion or uncertainty about your wishes. Many donor family members have said that carrying out their loved one's wishes to save other lives has provided them with great comfort in their time of grief.
If you have already signed a donor card, share this information with your family now. Many people gain comfort in knowing that they have relieved their family of the burden of making that decision.
If you have not yet made a decision about donation -- please consider it.
It is a chance for one final, heroic act to turn a loss into a life-giving opportunity.
Finally, make sure you know the wishes of your loved ones because you may be called on to help make the decision for others in your family.
Making a decision about organ and tissue donation can be difficult because it requires a person to consider his or her own mortality and to talk about dying.
Most people don't talk about dying. They think if they don't talk about it, it won't happen.
Actually, that is what happens with organ donation. If you don't talk about it, it won't happen.
If you would like a donor card or more information about organ donation call the TOSA Donor Information Line at
1-877-DONOR-877 or call the office closest to you.
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Top 10 Myths About Donation
There is a severe organ shortage in this country. Despite continuing efforts at public education, myths about organ and tissue donation persist. It's a tragedy if even one person decides against donation because of a myth. Here is a list of the more common myths along with the actual facts:
Myth
1 If I am in an accident and the hospital knows that I want to be a donor the doctors will not try to save my life.
Fact: Organ recovery takes place only after all efforts to save the patient's life have been exhausted and death has been legally declared. The medical team treating the patient is completely separate from the transplant team. The organ procurement organization is not notified until all lifesaving efforts have failed and death has been determined.
Myth
2 Donation will mutilate my body.
Fact: Donated organs are removed surgically, in a routine operation similar to gallbladder or appendix removal. Donation doesn't disfigure the body or change the way it looks in a casket.
Myth3 My family will be charged for donating my organs.
Fact: Donation costs nothing to the donor's family or estate.
Myth
4 I've already signed my driver's license, I don't need to do anything else.
Fact: Even if you have a signed donor card, or any other document, you must inform your family of your wishes because they are the ones who will make the final decision. It is easier for them to make that decision if they know you wanted to be a donor.
Myth
5 I am too old (or too young) to donate.
Fact: There are no age restrictions for becoming a donor. The organ bank will evaluate patients on an individual basis. At the time of death, medical professionals will determine if a person's organs can be transplanted.
Myth
6 My religion does not support donation.
Fact: All mainstream organized religions approve of organ and tissue donation and consider it an act of charity.
Myth
7 Wealthy people and celebrities are moved to the top of the list faster than "regular" people.
Fact: The organ allocation and distribution system is blind to wealth or social status. The length of time it takes to receive a transplant is governed by many factors, including blood type, severity of illness, length of time on the waiting list, and other medical criteria. Factors such as race, gender, age, income or celebrity status are never considered when determining who receives an
organ.
Myth
8 Only heart, liver and kidneys can be transplanted.
Fact: Needed organs include the heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver and intestines. Tissue that can be donated include the eyes, skin, bone, heart valves and tendons.
Myth
9 I have a history of medical illness. You would not want my organs or tissues.
Fact: At the time of death, the appropriate medical professionals will review your medical and social histories to determine whether or not you can be a donor. With recent advances in transplantation, many more people than ever before can be donors. It's best to sign a donor card and tell your family your wishes.
Myth
10 I've heard about a business traveler who is heavily drugged, then awakes to find he has had one kidney (or sometimes both) removed for a black market transplant.
Fact: This tale has been widely circulated over the Internet. There is absolutely no evidence of such activity ever occurring in the U.S. or any other industrialized country. While the tale may sound credible, it has no basis in the reality of organ transplantation. Many people who hear the myth probably dismiss it, but it is possible that some believe it and decide against organ donation out of needless fear.
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