10 Facts
about Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation

1. Donation can only occur after the death of a patient has been declared by physicians who are not affiliated with the transplant recovery teams.



2. The organ transplant waiting list is completely blind to wealth or celebrity status. The severity of illness, time spent waiting for an organ, and blood type are what matters for people waiting.



3. You are never too old to be a donor. There have been 92-year- olds who donated their livers. So enroll in the Donate Life Registry because if you are a potential donor, physicians will determine whether you are medically suitable.



4. Major religions endorse donation as the highest humanitarian act. At a minimum, it is a matter of individual conscience.



5. A family of an organ, eye and/or tissue donor is never responsible for costs related to donation.



6. Donation takes place under the same strict sterile conditions as any medical procedure. A donor is treated with extreme care and the body is not disfigured.



7. Donation does not interfere with funeral arrangements. Open casket services are possible.



8. In the U.S., the buying and selling of organs is prohibited by law. The system for matching donor organs and potential recipients is regulated by the Federal Government.



9. When you enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry, no one is entitled to reverse your decision to be a donor. By enrolling, you give legal consent for donation at the time of your death. Next of kin are only asked to give authorization before donation when there is no documentation that the person was a designated donor.



10. Transplantation is no longer experimental. Success rates for organ transplants average 80 - 90 percent, and more than 90 percent for various types of tissue transplants.