Benefits of Organ Donating

About Organ Donation

Organ donation is the harvesting of an individual's organs after he or she dies for the purpose of transplanting them into another person. Although not as common, certain organs can be removed from a living person and transplanted in another to save or enhance his or her life. In either case, permission from the individual or immediate family is needed to proceed with this procedure. Organs that can be harvested for transplant from a person who has died include:

• Lungs
• Heart
• Kidneys
• Intestines
• Pancreas
• Liver

Organ donation is similar to, but should not be confused with tissue donation, which is the harvesting of:

• Bones and bone marrow
• Corneas
• Veins
• Skin
• Heart valves
• Tendons

How Organ Donation and Transplantation Works

When a person dies or is declared brain dead, it is the hospital's responsibility to find out if that individual is an organ donor. If he or she is, their organs will be kept viable via ventilator or other mechanisms until they can be harvested. Most of the individuals whose organs are donated will have died from an external trauma or head injury. Those with serious illnesses such as cancer usually do not make good candidates. Many factors are taken into consideration in determining what organs are viable including how long the person has been deceased as well the individual's physical health before he or she died. In many cases, procurement specialists and doctors have roughly 24 hours to remove and transplant the organs.

Statistics

Over the years, individuals have become more aware of the benefits of organ donating. According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), a unified transplant network established in 1984 by U.S. Congress, there are more than 99,200 individuals awaiting transplants in the United States. However, between January 2008 and February 2008, about 4,400 transplants have taken place with organs harvested from roughly 2,200 donors. The OPTN's goals are to heighten the efficiency and effectiveness of organ sharing throughout the United States, as well as increase the number of donated organs eligible for transplantation.

The Benefits of Organ Donating

Depending on your beliefs, the benefits of organ donating can outweigh the cons:

• Helps grieving families: When a loved one dies, most families will want to do everything they can to help the grieving process. Knowing that the corneas or heart of the person who just died will help another see or even live can be very comforting. They receive some peace knowing that something positive has come out of the death.
• New lease on life: For those receiving the organs, these transplants can mean a second chance at life. For some, it means being able to see, while for others, it can mean actually being able to live.
• Better quality of life: Individuals who are dependent on kidney dialysis and receive a kidney transplant can return to living a regular lifestyle without machines.
• Cost effective: Some organ transplants can be less expensive in the long run than continuing medical care, specifically in the case of kidney transplants.
• Social responsibility: Many individuals feel it is their social responsibility to help others survive or live normal lives.

How to Become an Organ Donor

To help reap the benefits of organ donation, start by becoming an organ donor. Those wishing to become one need to have their wishes known while they are still alive and healthy. Legally, in most states, you can have a sticker placed on your driver's license or identification card, or you can have it put in your will. You can also verbalize these wishes to your next of kin or you can register with Donate Life America. Your name will be put into a national registry, and upon your demise, any viable organs will be harvested for transplant.

According to Donate Life America, there are about 70 million registered organ donors in the United States, but only 35 percent of all licensed drivers or state ID card holders have registered through their state agencies. To combat the nation's donor shortage, more individuals need to register. If you are younger than 18, you will need parental consent to become a donor.