Organ Donation: Its all about LIFE'

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Organ Donation Its all about LIFE.
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Approximately 102 people are added to the
National Organ Donation list each day.
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Donation Statistics

• More than 73,000 men, women, and children
  currently await life-saving transplants.
• Every 14 minutes another name is added to the
  national transplant waiting list.
• An average of 16 people die each day from the
  lack of available organs for transplant.

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Your Wishes Count

• At this time, there is no national registry
  of organ and tissue donors. Even if you have
  documented your wishes, be sure you have told
  your family you want to donate LIFE.

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Organs That Can Be Donated

• Heart
• Kidneys
• Pancreas
• Lungs
• Liver
• Intestines
• Bone Marrow

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Tissues That Can Be Donated

• Eyes
• Skin
• Bone
• Heart Valves
• Tendons

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Myths Regarding Organ Donation

• Myth People are abducted and their organs are
  removed and sold.
• Fact There is no black market for organs in the
  United States. It is illegal to buy and sell
  organs in the United States. The National Organ
  Transplant Act (Public Law 98-507) prohibits the
  sale of human organs.
• Due to the complex system of transplantation,
  piracy is practically impossible. The process of
  matching donors with recipients and the need for
  highly skilled medical professionals to perform
  the surgery make it impossible complete in
  secret.

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Myth You can sell your organs. Fact It is
illegal to sell your organs in the United States.
This offense is punishable by a fine and
imprisonment. The National Organ Transplant Act
(Public Law 98-507) prohibits the buying and
selling of organs. Myth There are age limits
on donation. Fact There is no age limit on who
can donate. Myth Donation will mutilate my
body. Fact Donated organs are removed
surgically in a routine operation similar to
gallbladder or appendix removal.
Donation doesnt disfigure the body or change the
way it looks in a casket.
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Myth My family will be charged for donating my
organs. Fact Donations costs nothing to the
donors family or estate. Myth 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 and tissue recovery takes
place only after all efforts to save your life
have been exhausted and death has been
legally declared. The medical team treating you
is completely separate From the transplant team.
The organ procurement organization (OPO) is not
notified until all lifesaving efforts have failed
and death has been determined. The OPO does not
notify the transplant team until your family has
consented to donation.
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Myth My religion does not support
donation. Fact Most major religions in the U.S.
approve of organ and tissue donation and consider
it an act of charity. Myth 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. Its best to
sign a donor card and tell your family your
wishes.
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Every day more that 12 people who are on the UNOS
National Transplant Waiting List die for lack of
an organ. Most people who receive The Gift of
Life are living productive lives more than 5
years after their transplant surgery.