What it Means to Be an Organ Donor

When you last renewed your driver’s license, did you check the box to become an organ donor?

As a registered donor, you have the potential to save many lives and reduce waiting lists for multiple organs.

Organ donation plays a crucial role in medicine, offering a second chance at life for many people. By donating organs, you can improve the quality of life for recipients and create a lasting impact on their families and communities — with another birthday, anniversary or holiday they otherwise might not have had with their loved one.

“In many ways, being an organ donor is one of the greatest gifts you can give,” says Michael Marvin, MD, chair of transplantation and liver surgery for Geisinger. “But even with all of our success in transplanting patients and saving lives, there’s still work to do to register more organ and tissue donors.”

What does organ donation mean?

There are 2 types of organ donation: deceased donation and living donation. Being registered as an organ donor refers to deceased donation, which occurs after a person has met rigid criteria to be declared legally dead either through brain death or cardiopulmonary death. Living donation, on the other hand, involves a healthy person who voluntarily donates a specific organ, such as a kidney or part of the liver.

As a registered organ donor, you can give a second chance at life through donation of your:

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

Besides organs, donors can also contribute:

• Tissue, including face, hand, arm and uterus
• Bones
• Skin
• Heart valves
• Corneas

This means a single organ and tissue donor can save and enhance the lives of up to 75 people. Not to mention the abundance of people touched by an organ donation, spreading throughout the family and network of loves ones. Now that’s making a big impact.

Finding an organ donor

Anyone who needs an organ transplant is placed on a waiting list until they can be matched with potential donors. Without suitable donors, the list continues to increase. Today, that waiting list includes more than 100,000 patients hoping for a second chance at life.

Criteria for a good match include:

• Blood type
• Tissue type
• Body size
• The severity of their medical condition
• How far they live from a donor
• How long they’ve waited for a new organ

“For those awaiting life-saving transplants like someone with heart failure or on dialysis, organ donation can be a beacon of hope,” says Dr. Marvin. “Transplants offer a chance to regain health, independence and an improved quality of life.”

The process of organ donation

In the event of a potential organ donor’s death, hospital staff will contact Gift of Life, an organization that helps coordinate organ donation. Staff also will review the donor’s medical history to determine whether the person meets organ donation requirements. In general, the person must be in good overall health and free from diseases like cancer or severe infections that could affect the viability of the donated organ.

If the person was a registered donor, staff will discuss organ and/or tissue donation options with the family and answer questions. If the person wasn’t a registered organ donor, family members could still decide on that person’s behalf whether to donate organs.

As the donation process moves forward, an organ donor’s personal information is entered into a national database, including:

• Blood type
• Height
• Weight
• Hospital zip code

“This information helps identify the most needy recipients for the organs and a best match,” Dr. Marvin explains.

Once a match is found, the transplant team gets to work. Organs are surgically removed and quickly transported to a hospital close to the recipient. The transplant itself is typically done within 24 hours.

There are no costs involved for the donor’s family. All medical expenses related to the transplant are covered by the recipient’s insurance.

After organ donation

A few weeks after the organ transplant, Gift of Life sends a letter to the donor’s family to let them know which of their loved one’s organs and tissues were donated.

The donor family receives support through their grieving process, such as:

• Bereavement counseling
• Memorial events to honor their loved one
• Correspondence opportunities

Recipients of new organs receive follow-up care for life after their transplant. The goal is to identify and address any potential changes in organ function or overall health to guarantee a long, healthy life.

How to become an organ donor

It’s easy to register to become an organ donor. If you have a driver’s license or state identification card, consider adding the donor designation to your record.

“But you don’t need to wait until you renew your driver’s license or state identification card,” Dr. Marvin says. “You can do it any time — it’s quick and easy for Pennsylvania residents to register online and can be completed in just a few minutes.” 

Anyone, regardless of age or medical history, can register as an organ donor. Your eligibility to donate will be determined at the time of your death. Even if your major organs can’t be used, tissue, corneas or bone may still make a major impact on someone’s life. 

“Becoming an organ donor is a powerful way to leave a positive impact on the world,” Dr. Marvin says. “Your selfless act can bring hope and healing to individuals and their families during difficult times.”

Next steps: 

Learn more about Geisinger’s Transplant Surgery Program
What to know about donating a kidney
Can cancer survivors donate blood?