Facts About Organ Donation

75 Lives Saved

Each organ donor can save up to eight lives, and each tissue donor can heal an average of 75 people, with the potential of 125.

The benefits of organ donation are numerous. Each of the eight donatable organs -- lungs (2), liver, pancreas, heart, kidneys (2), and intestines -- can add years to a patient’s life and significantly improve their quality of life. And donated tissue such as tendons, skin and bones can restore mobility and hope for combat veterans, burn victims, and individuals with failing joints. Corneas, the most common transplant, can also be donated and used to restore vision.

While not all of a donor’s organs or tissue may be suitable for transplant, even one life-saving gift can have a profound impact. Many people mistakenly believe their age or medical conditions would rule them out, but everyone is a potential donor!

Woman Helping Man On Trail As Group Of Senior Friends Go Hiking In Countryside Together

Smiling senior couple holding basket with vegetables at the market

9,000+ Patients Helped

More than 9,000 Michigan patients have received a life-saving organ transplant in the past 10 years. Many tens of thousands more have benefited from tissue and corneal transplants.

It’s important that Michigan residents join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry so life-saving transplants can continue. According to the Secretary of State, the Michigan Organ Donor Registry is a confidential database of residents who choose to be organ and tissue donors. Joining the Michigan Organ Donor Registry indicates your decision to be an organ, tissue and eye donor following your death and gives authorization to proceed with donation. Documenting your decision to be a donor saves your family the stress of having to make this choice in their time of loss and could potentially save the lives of many others.

FAQs

Why is it important to register as a donor?

Your gift will be used to help others through transplantation, therapy, research and education.

One person can donate up to eight life-saving organs, as well as tissues and corneas. Donated tissue can help an average of 75 people with the potential of up to 125, and be used to repair wounds, burns and joints. Donated corneas can restore vision or relieve painful swelling.

Organs and tissue that cannot be transplanted are valuable to research and education, allowing surgical teams to practice their transplant skills or contribute to research projects. For example, islet cells recovered from a donated pancreas could help researchers trying to find a cure for diabetes.

Registering as a donor is therefore an important step for anyone who wishes to help others through the gift of organ and tissue donation. If you register to become a donor, you relieve your grieving family of having to make a decision when you die. Having your decision to donate documented also ensures that it will be carried out, if medically possible.

Can someone with COVID-19 donate organs and tissues?

Will doctors work as hard to save my life if they know I’m a donor?

Yes, absolutely. This is perhaps the most common myth about organ donation. When a patient arrives at the hospital, the number one priority is to save his or her life. Doctors and other medical personnel have both a moral and legal obligation to give their patients the best care possible. Organ donation is not considered until every effort to save the patient’s life has been exhausted.

Most organ donations are from patients who have irreversible brain function, require a ventilator, and – after evaluation, testing and documentation – are declared brain dead.

Brain death means the person has died; the ventilator is no longer keeping the person alive, it is artificially supporting the function of the heart and lungs. This differs from a patient in a coma, who is still alive and will not be considered a potential organ donor. Doctors do extensive evaluation, testing and documentation to determine if brain death has occurred.

When death is imminent or death has been declared, the Michigan Organ Donor Registry will be checked to see if the patient intended to donate. By law, the medical team treating the patient is completely separate from the transplant team.

Donor mother Terra DeFoe hears this question frequently, and she's got a great response:

Does my religion support donation?

Most major religions approve of organ, tissue and eye donation and consider it the ultimate act of human kindness and generosity. The largest religions in Michigan -- including Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, and Islam -- support donation or leave the choice up to the individual.

For more information on your religion’s stance on organ donation, you can consult this large list of specific religious organizations and their positions on donation. Anyone who is still unsure or uncomfortable with the religious implications of donation is encouraged to speak with their religious leader.

Can someone who dies at home be a donor?

Organ donation is not logistically possible when someone dies at home, but tissue and eye donation may be. Gift of Life Michigan should be contacted as soon as possible to determine if there is an opportunity to donate. Our 24/7 donor services center can be reached at 800-482-4881. We will work with your family to make arrangements for the donation surgery, if medically possible.

Can members of the LGBTQIA+ community donate?

Can someone with HIV donate organs and tissues?

Donors who are HIV+ are able to provide organs for transplant to waiting recipients living with HIV. Thanks to the HOPE Act passed in Michigan in 2021, transplant hospitals in our state can now accept those HIV+ organs for their patients! Previously organs from HIV+ donors were only able to be transplanted in other states.

Whether someone living with HIV can be a living organ donor is determined by that transplant hospital.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the gift of tissue donation, and the protocols for donating tissue are very similar to the protocols for donating blood. At this time it is unlikely that a donor with HIV will be able to donate tissues. However, as medical protocols do change we encourage everyone who wishes to donate to join the Donor Registry and let medical professionals determine what can be donated based on the protocols at that time.

I have health problems. Can I still be a donor?

Yes, anyone is a potential organ donor despite medical conditions, so please don't rule yourself out! A diabetic, for example, might have unhealthy kidneys but a very strong heart or lungs. Likewise, an individual with cancer may still be able to donate some organs and tissue, depending on their cancer type and medical condition. Donors with other medical conditions, such as hepatitis or HIV, are able to save or prolong the lives of others who already have hepatitis or HIV.

Medical criteria for organ donation changes as medical advances occur, and a physician evaluates all potential donors at the time of death to determine what can be used to help others. We therefore encourage anyone, regardless of their medical history, to register as an organ donor and communicate their wishes to their family.

Am I too old (or too young) to sign up?

No, don’t rule yourself out because of age. There are no age limits to register. There have been many successful transplants from donors over the age of 50. According to organdonor.gov, one of the oldest organ donors in the U.S. was 92, and his donated liver saved the life of a 69-year-old woman. The oldest tissue donor so far in Michigan was 101 years old!

Likewise, people under age 18 can also register to be donors. Parents may legally revoke the registered decision of a minor to be a donor until that individual turns 18. It is especially important for minors who wish to donate to discuss that decision with their families.

Can I indicate specific organs or tissue to be donated?

Joining the Michigan Organ Donor Registry gives authorization to donate all organs and tissues that are healthy enough to help another person. However, people wishing to limit their gift may create a separate document to indicate specific organs and tissues they want to donate. They should keep this in their own possession, signed and dated, and let their families know where it is kept for future reference.

The gift of a vascular composite allograft (such as a hand or face transplant) is provided only with special authorization from the donor's family at the time of donation; it is not included in the gifts offered through signing up on the Donor Registry.

Will I still be able to have an open casket at the funeral?

Can you sell your organs?

What is placenta donation used for?

How do I sign up?

Why should I donate?

Around 2,500 people are on the waiting list for a life-saving organ transplant in Michigan, with nearly 107,000 on the national waiting list. People die waiting every single day because the number in need of transplants greatly outpaces the number of organs available. There is an especially critical need for hearts, livers and kidneys.

Your decision to someday donate your organs and tissue could have a major impact in the lives of others. One donor can save up to eight lives, and improve the lives of up to 75 more:

Organ donations are often life-saving gifts for their recipients, and drastically improve their quality of life.
Cornea transplants can restore sight for those with painful swelling or damaged vision.
Donated tissue is used to restore hope and mobility to thousands of people every year, including combat veterans and patients with life-threatening burns or damaged joints.

You can learn more about the benefits of organ donation here.

How much does it cost to donate?

Every Donation Counts flyer, outlining the organs and tissues that can be donated.

Heart Aching Statistics

Each day in the United States, on average, over 90 lives are saved by an organ transplant from a deceased donor; but 17 people die daily waiting for a transplant that never comes.

There are currently more than 130 million people in the U.S. who are signed up to be organ, tissue and eye donors. Having a large pool of potential donors helps increase the chance that life-saving transplants can be provided to some of the 104,000+ people on the national organ transplant waiting list and the 1.75 million Americans who receive tissue transplants annually.

Unfortunately, although the generosity of deceased donors saves more than 90 lives each day, the need for organ transplants is outpacing the rate of donor registrations. According to Donate Life America, someone is added to the waiting list every 10 minutes. Because of this, it is critical that everyone who supports organ donation takes the time to register as an organ donor. It can be done in about a minute online.

Facts About Organ Donation

Key Numbers

Frequently Asked Questions