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What is organ donation and transplantation?

Organ donation is the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it into another person (the recipient). Transplantation is necessary because the recipient’s organ has failed or has been damaged by disease or injury. Donate Life

Organ transplantation is one of the great advances in modern medicine. Unfortunately, the need for organ donors is much greater than the number of people who actually donate. Every day in the United States, 22 people die waiting for an organ and more than 112,000 men, women and children await life-saving organ transplants.

Donate Life Florida

Florida’s organ, tissue and eye donor registry is named for Joshua Abbott, the recipient of a lung transplant who passed away in 2006. Abbott’s story so moved the Florida legislature that, in 2009, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration chose Donate Life Florida to create a statewide donor registry to increase registry enrollment and educate Floridians about donation.

Donate Life Florida is a non-profit 501(C)3 charitable organization. Established in 1997 as Florida Coalition on Donation, Inc., Donate Life Florida is dedicated to motivating Floridians to designate themselves as organ, tissue and eye donors, so lives are saved and enhanced through donation and transplantation.

The Numbers?

Today, more than 5,000 patients listed at Florida transplant centers await life-saving organ transplants. Many of these individuals may get a second chance at life due to the generosity of those who designate themselves as organ, tissue and eye donors on Florida’s organ and tissue donor Registry.

You have the power to Donate Life! Sign up today to become an organ, tissue and eye donor. Your generosity can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance dozens more through tissue and eye donation.

The Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition supports your decision to Donate Life!

Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the + button to the left of each question to expand the answer.

What is organ and tissue donation?

Organ and tissue donation is the process of recovering organs and tissues from a deceased person and transplanting them into others in order to save or enhance the lives of those in need. Up to eight lives can be saved through organ donation, and dozens more lives may be improved through tissue donation.

What organs and tissues may be donated?

Transplantable organs include the kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas and intestine. As for tissue, skin is used as a temporary dressing for burns, serious abrasions and other exposed areas. Bone is used in orthopedic surgery to facilitate healing of fractures or prevent amputation. Heart valves are used to replace defective valves. Tendons are used to repair torn ligaments on knees or other joints. Veins are used in cardiac by-pass surgery. Corneas can restore sight.

How many people need donated organs and tissue?

Today, nearly 120,000 children and adults await life-saving organ transplants. More than 5,000 of them are listed at transplant centers in Florida. In addition, hundreds of thousands more wait patiently for the gift of tissue donation. Every day, approximately 22 people die while waiting for an organ transplant.

Under what circumstances can a person be an organ donor?

In almost all cases resulting in organ donation, the patient has suffered a traumatic brain injury and brain death. After all life-saving efforts have been exhausted, and it is determined that the patient’s death is imminent, the patient must remain on ventilator support. The reason for this is the heart and lungs must continue to function after the patient dies so that the transplantable organs continue to function. Once the heart stops beating, organs begin to shut down, limiting their viability for life-saving transplantation.

Under what circumstances can a person be a tissue donor?

Virtually all deceased persons, regardless of cause of death, may potentially be tissue donors. Unlike organ donation, it is not necessary for heart and lung function to be maintained on a ventilator. Once a death is reported to the tissue agency, protocols require the family be contacted within several hours regarding the opportunity to donate.

Under what circumstances can a person be a cornea (eye) donor?

The great thing about eye tissue is that everyone is a universal donor. Your blood type does not have to match. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what color your eyes are, or how good your eyesight is. Aside from those suffering from a few highly communicable diseases such as HIV or hepatitis, most people are suitable donors. Even people with cancer can be cornea donors. Corneal tissue may be completely healthy even if the donor’s eyesight was poor.

Is my family or estate charged for donation?

No. There is no cost to the donor’s family for organ and tissue donation. Once death has been declared and authorization is confirmed through the donor registry or from the family, all costs associated with organ and/or tissue recovery are assumed by the recovery organizations. Hospital expenses incurred before the donation of organs or tissues in attempt to save the donor’s life and funeral expenses remain the responsibility of the donor’s family.

Does my religion support donation?

Most major religions approve of organ, tissue and eye donation, and consider donation an act of charity.

Will donation affect funeral arrangements?

No. Great care is taken to preserve the donor’s appearance, and the donor’s body is treated with respect at all times. Funeral arrangements, including a viewing, if desired, may proceed as scheduled.

How do you determine who receives the organs?

Organs are allocated nationally based on a complex medical formula established by transplant doctors, public representatives, ethicists and organ recovery agencies. UNOS (the United Network for Organ Sharing) maintains the list of patients waiting for transplants. A donor’s blood type, tissue type, body weight, and size are matched against patients on the list. If there are multiple matches, priority is given to the sickest patients, or in the case of kidneys, those who have been on the waiting list the longest. Factors such as race, gender, age, income or celebrity status are never considered when determining who receives an organ.

How can my organs and tissues be used for research?

Organs and tissues not recovered for transplant may be recovered by the local organ, tissue or eye recovery programs for pre-approved medical research if the donor (or family, in lieu of a registry record) authorizes such. All research projects are carefully evaluated by the donor programs, and only those projects that offer clear medical benefit and are administered by experienced, reputable organizations are approved.

What if I don’t want my organs and/or tissues to be used for research?

Donated organs and tissues may be used for two purposes: transplantation and medical research. The Joshua Abbott Organ and Tissue Donor Registry allows you to opt out of donating organs and/or tissues for research. During the enrollment process, check off the “Donation Limitations” box and check the “For Research” box under both Organs and Tissues. If you have already enrolled online or via the driver license or tax collector office you may go to the Registry website, click on Update My Donor Profile, enter your login information, and then specify donation limitations. While updating your profile you may also change your password and personal information or remove your name from the Joshua Abbott Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.

If I am registered as a donor, will my medical care be affected?

Medical care is not affected in any way by your status as a registered donor. Every attempt is made to save your life. In fact, patients must receive the most aggressive life-saving care in order to be potential organ donors.

In 2020, for the tenth year in a row, organ donation from deceased donors in the United States set an all-time record. A total of 12,587 people provided one or more organs to save and enhance the lives of others, representing an increase of six percent over 2019, according to preliminary data from United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which serves as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network under federal contract.

A record 36,548 organs from deceased donors were transplanted, either individually or in multi-organ combinations. This resulted in 33,309 lifesaving transplants from deceased donors in 2020—setting another annual record for the eighth consecutive year.

Did You Know?

There are roughly 112,000 children and adults waiting for organ transplants in the United States.
There is no standard age limit or cut off to receiving a transplant.
Buying or selling organs is illegal. It is a federal felony to give or receive money or any other tangible gift in exchange for a donated organ.
Organs and tissue that can be donated include: heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, tendons, bone, nerve and heart valves.
An open-casket funeral is possible for organ and tissue donors.
There is no cost to the donor’s family or estate for organ and tissue donation.
The U.S. has the highest-performing organ donation and transplant system in the world. From 2015 to 2020, there was a 38% increase in organ donation from deceased donors.

more than 100,000 people need transplants

What organs can be transplanted?

Anyone can become an organ donor, no matter your age. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated. If you would like to declare your choice to be an organ donor, be sure to enroll in your state’s donor registry and share your decision with your family and friends. Your decision to donate life can help to save many lives.

Waiting “list”: The facts

Waiting for a transplant is not like taking a number and waiting your turn. The waitlist is better described as a giant pool of patients. When a deceased organ donor is identified, UNOS’ computer system generates a ranked list of transplant candidates who are suitable to receive each organ. UNOS matches individuals waiting for a lifesaving transplant with compatible donor organs.

How the national organ transplant waiting list works – YouTube

What is living donation?

Living donation takes place when a living person donates an organ (or part of an organ) for transplantation to another person. The living donor can be a family member, such as a parent, child, brother or sister (living related donation).

Living donation can also come from someone who is emotionally related to the recipient, such as a good friend, spouse or an in-law (living unrelated donation). Thanks to improved medications, a genetic link between the donor and recipient is no longer required to ensure a successful transplant.

In some cases, living donation may even be from a stranger, which is called anonymous or non-directed donation.

What organs can come from living donors?

The organ most commonly given by a living donor is the kidney. Parts of other organs including the lung, liver and pancreas are now being transplanted from living donors.

Who can be a living kidney donor?

To donate a kidney, you must be in good physical and mental health. As a general rule, you should be 18 years or older. You must also have normal kidney function. There are some medical conditions that could prevent you from being a living donor. These include having uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, HIV, hepatitis, or acute infections. Having a serious mental health condition that requires treatment may also prevent you from being a donor.

What are the advantages of living donation over deceased donation?

Kidney transplants performed from living donors may have several advantages compared to transplants performed from deceased donors:

Some living donor transplants are done between family members who are genetically similar. A better genetic match lessens the risk of rejection.

A kidney from a living donor usually functions immediately, because the kidney is out of the body for a very short time. Some deceased donor kidneys do not function immediately, and as a result, the patient may require dialysis until the kidney starts to function.

Potential donors can be tested ahead of time to find the donor who is most compatible with the recipient. The transplant can take place at a time convenient for both the donor and recipient.

20 people die each day waiting for a transplant

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