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How
do I become a donor? |
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You can become a donor in
three easy ways:
- Request that a heart be placed
on your driver's license at the DMV.
- Register on the online donor registry at www.donatelifenc.org.
- Complete a paper enrollment form and mail it to Donate Life North Carolina. To obtain a form, please call 1-800-200-2672.
If you register via the DMV, a red heart will be placed on your driver's license or ID card. This symbol means that you are giving legal consent for the donation of your organs and corneas/eyes after you die. It does not include tissue donation, nor does it include whole body donation.
If you register online at www.donatelifenc.org, you can be more specific about your donation wished. For example, you can choose which organs or tissues you want to donate - and exclude those you do not want to donate. You can also register your decision about the disposition of your organs/tissues/eyes in case they cannot be used for transplant.
If you have a heart on your driver's license you can also register as a donor online, your online record supercedes your DMV record because it is the more specific donation document.
Through the North Carolina Heart Prevails Law (Session Law 2007-538), if you have registered your decision to be a donor your wishes cannot be overturned by others. It relieves the family of making this decision on your behalf, so please be sure to tell them when you join the registry. |
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What
organs and tissues can be donated and how are they
used?
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Organs that can be donated
include the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys,
and small intestines. Organs are used to save
lives by replacing diseased organs with healthy
ones. Tissues that can be donated include skin,
bone, corneas, heart valves, and veins. Skin grafts
are used for burn victims, dental surgeries and reconstructive surgeries; bone, tendons and ligaments
can be used in reconstructive surgeries; corneas
are transplanted to give sight; heart valves are
used in valve replacement surgery, common in children,
and leg veins can be used in heart bypass surgery.
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Is
there any cost to my family if I am an organ/tissue
donor? |
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No. All costs associated with
donation are paid by the organ procurement organization.
Your family is only responsible for hospital charges
before the death declaration and for funeral expenses.
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Will becoming a registered donor affect the quality of medical care
I receive? |
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Absolutely
not. Medical care is always based on what is necessary
to save a patient’s life. Patients can be considered
for donation only after they are declared dead. |
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Is there
any age limit for donation? |
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No.
Potential donors are evaluated on an individual basis, regardless of age. |
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Is it true
that only rich people get transplants? |
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No.
Factors such as race, gender, age, income, or celebrity
status are never considered when determining who
receives an organ. The organ allocation and distribution
system is based on many factors including blood
type, length of time on waiting list, geographical
location, severity of illness and other medical
criteria. There is NO way to buy a place on the
waiting list. |
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Are there
any racial barriers to donation and matching organs? |
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No.
Race is not a barrier, nor is it a criterion for
organ placement. A computer database matches organ
donors with potential recipients according to medical
suitability. However, patients waiting for kidney
transplants are more likely to have an antigen match
with a donor of the same race. |
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If I am
in good health can I sell my organs for money? |
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No! It is against the law
to buy or sell organs in the United States.
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Can I be
a donor if I have or have had cancer? |
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It depends on the type of cancer. People who have or have had some forms of cancer can be eye donors. People with primary brain tumors can often be organ donors. Most people can be an organ and tissue donor if they have been cancer-free for at least five years. Patients with current cancer or history of cancer are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
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Can my organs
be used if I die at home? |
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Unfortunately, no. However, tissue and eye donation can occur when someone dies at home. Organs must have a continuous blood and oxygen supply to be suitable for transplantation. Only individuals who die in the hospital have the potential to be organ donors. Most patients who have the opportunity for organ donation have been determined brain dead, usually in a hospital intensive care unit. In certain circumstances, patients who have a have a cardiac death in the hospital can be donors, but these are very limited. |
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What does
“brain death” mean? |
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Brain death means a patient has been declared dead by neurologic criteria. Brain death is the complete and total cessation of all brain function including the brain stem. This means the brain is no longer functioning. There is no blood flow through the brain. The patient is no longer alive even though the bodily functions are being maintained by artificial means such as a respirator. These patients cannot respond to any outside stimuli. If a patient is determined to be brain dead, they are dead. There is no legal differentiation between brain death and cardiac death. A death certificate will be completed for patients who are declared dead by neurologic criteria (brain death) or cardio-respiratory criteria (cardiac death). Brain death is not the same as being in a coma, since coma patients still have brain function and respond to some stimuli. |
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If I am
a donor, will there be a delay in funeral services? |
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In
most cases, no. Usually, the procedure can be completed
and the body released to the funeral home the next
day. |
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Can I still
have an open casket funeral? |
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Yes.
Organ and tissue recoveries are conducted in the
operating room under the direction of qualified
surgical personnel. An incision is made, closed,
and dressed; therefore, the body’s appearance
is not changed by the donation process. Also, the
identity of the donor family is kept confidential
so no one will know that donation took place. |
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Can I still
be an organ donor and also donate my body to science? |
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If
you are an organ or tissue donor, a medical school
will not accept your remains for teaching purposes.
However, if you are an eye donor, you may donate
your body to a medical school. Some research institutions
will accept your body for research after organ and
tissue donation.
If you wish to make a gift of your whole body to a body donation program in North Carolina, you should make advance arrangements with a specific medical center school program. A list of programs and school-specific procedures and forms can be found on the Commission on Anatomy's website www.commissiononanatomy.ncdhhs.gov/donate.htm. |
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How many
people are waiting for organs in our country? |
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Right
now, more than 100,000 Americans are waiting for
life-saving organ transplants. For the most current
waiting list number, visit www.unos.org. |
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How many
people are waiting for transplants in NC? |
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Around 3,000 North Carolinians need life-saving organ transplants. |
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How many
people can be helped by tissue donation? |
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More
than 50 people can be helped through one tissue
donor. |
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How many
lives can be saved by one organ donor? |
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One
organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people. |
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When was
the first human heart transplant? |
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In
1967, a South African heart surgeon named Christiaan
Barnard performed the first human heart transplant. |
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When was
the first successful living donor transplant done? |
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In 1954, in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Joseph Murray transplanted a kidney from a healthy 23-year-old identical twin to his brother, who had kidney failure. |
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