Why Should People Donate Their Organs?

People donate their organs for a variety of reasons, typically centering on a desire to help others. Others are more reluctant, because of fear stemming from a lack of awareness about organ donation.

Significance

• According to Donate Life America, 18 people die each day, on average, waiting for an organ transplant. Organ donation saves lives and reaches across medical latitudes, with at least six different body organs eligible for donation and transplant.

Misconceptions

• People who avoid organ donation cite unjustifiable fears resulting from myths. One such myth is the fear that they will get improper care if emergency room staff wishes to harvest their organs. Another myth is that the body will be unfit for viewing at the funeral.

History

• According to the New York Organ Donor Network, the first living kidney organ transplant took place in 1954 between a set of identical twins. The first cadaver kidney transplant took place in 1962.

Benefits

• The most commonly cited benefit of organ donation is saving lives. Donors can include the living, who can give one of their kidneys or lungs, or someone who has died, providing healthy organs, such as the liver and the heart.

Cost

• According to womenshealth.gov, the transplant recipient's insurance carrier covers the cost of surgery for both the donor and recipient.