Benefits of Organ Donating

Organ donors give their viable organs to others after they die. The United States Government oversees organ donation and transplantation, ensuring strict standards and requirements. All major religions see organ donation as a positive, life-giving gift. Every day, 18 people die because they could not get the organs they needed to survive. Organ donation gives those people, who would not otherwise survive, a new chance at life.

Types

• There are a few types of organ donation. The first type of organ or tissue donation is from donors who are alive. These donors go through a selective process ensuring blood type matches, physical health and compatibility before donating their organs or tissue.

  Donation after cardiac or brain death occurs when an individual exists only on life support, and doctors declare no hope for recovery. The family decides to remove life support according to a living will or the individual's wishes. The medical team keeps the donor on support only to sustain the health of their organs, and then they remove all the viable organs.

  There is also full-body donation. This is when the donor gives their body to a medical school of their choosing for medical purposes. Many times, individuals determine that their first choice is organ donation. If no organs are transplantable, they give their body for medical teaching purposes.

Significance

• There are over 100,000 men, women and children on the waiting list for organ donation. Those on the list range from infants to the elderly. Organ donation saves lives of those who would otherwise die. While organ donation is at a high, only 35 percent of license and state-issued identification holders list themselves as organ donors.

Misconceptions

• Many individuals fear that, if they are organ donors, the quality of their medical care may decrease so that others may have their organs. However, the medical team responsible for the donor is completely separate from the transplant team. Doctors do everything to save someone before even considering the possibility of donation. Being a donor has absolutely no effect on medical care. It is also a myth that organ harvesting prevents open casket funerals. Doctors make sure to treat the body with the utmost of care, and make sure that the body is viewable. Many people believe that medical conditions prevent them from donating, but organ donation is still possible in most cases.

Benefits

• For every organ donor, it is possible to transplant up to fifty organs and tissues into others. These organs serve several purposes, from increasing the quality of life of the recipient to saving their life. Many times, families find that organ donation eases grief by giving them the knowledge that the loved one's continuing kindness helped others.

Warning

• An individual should make sure that his family knows of organ donation status and preferences. This ensures respect of the donor's wishes. When applying for or renewing a driver's license, get the organ donor status printed on it. There are also organ donor cards available for free to carry until getting the status on a driver's license. This prevents any disagreements over the donor's body or decision. It may also ease the guilt of loved ones trying to make the decision.