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- Q: Should I mention my organ and tissue donation in my will?
- A: No. Your will may be read too late to make organ and tissue donation possible. Your donor card can communicate your wishes instantly.
Q: Will my decision to become a donor interfere with my own healthcare?
- A: Absolutely not! Donors receive the same high-quality care that non-donors receive. Medical personnel must follow very strict guidelines before they can pronounce death and remove the donor's organs and tissues.
Q: Does the donor's age or medical history matter?
- A: Neither age nor medical history should stop you from signing a donor card. The transplant team will decide at the time of the donation whether organs and tissues are useful. And, remember -- a body of any age is valuable for research.
Q: Does organ and tissue donation disrupt funeral arrangements?
- A: Funeral arrangements may be delayed, and families should discuss special needs at the time of donation. Donation does not change your loved one's appearance. Your loved one will look no different than he or she did in the hospital. If you plan to donate your body to medical research, prior arrangements are necessary. Ccontact the anatomical gift board at the nearest medical school. Funeral arrangements should be discussed at this time.
Q: Will my donation cost my family anything?
- A: No. Your donation costs them nothing. Procurement agencies pay the costs associated with recovery of organs and tissues from donors.
Q: What's the purpose of a " donor" driver's license?
- A: It's the method some states use to indicate the driver's intention to become an organ and tissue donor in the event of death.
Q: Can I change my mind?
- A: Yes. Just tear up your donor card. Follow local regulations of you hve a "donor" driver's lisence. (Remember to tell family members about your decision.)
Q: Can living people donate organs?
- A: Under certain circumstances, a family member can give a kidney to another member of the immediate family (including mother, father, sister or brother). A living person may also donate bone marrow and certain portions of the pancreas.
Q: What's a tissue bank?
- A: It's a place where bone, skin, corneas and other tissues are stored for future use. Unfortunately, there's no long-term method available for storing hearts, livers and other vital organs.
Q: Can my next of kin donate organs and tissues when I die?
- A: Yes. In fact, most states now have required request laws. This means that the hospital must offer the family of a potential donor the option of donating the person's organs and tissues. All hospitals receiving Medicare payments must do the same.
Q: Can I be sure my organs and tissues will be used?
- A: Every possible effort will be made to use organs and tissues that physicians believe can be transplanted safely and effectively.
Q: Can people sell their organs, tissues or body?
- A: No! Neither the donor nor any heirs may receive payment for organs, tissues or a body.
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