| Who
can become a donor? |
| Anyone
who has died can become a donor, if the family grants permission. |
| Can
I change my mind? |
| Yes. Most importantly simply tell you family. Then
change your documents and send a letter to the Gift of Life
Donor Registry
indicating your wishes. |
| What
organs can be donated? |
| Kidneys,
heart, lungs, liver and pancreas. |
| What
tissues can be donated?
|
| Corneas,
whole eyes, skin, bone, heart valves and saphenous veins. |
| How
is death determined? |
| In the
past, death was declared only when the heart stopped beating. Advancements in medical technology now allow death to
be determined by measuring brain function. When brain
activity has totally ceased, breathing and heart function can
no longer continue independently and the individual is dead.
Now
there are respirator machines which can temporarily allow
the heart and lungs to continue functioning in a brain-dead
individual. These machines have helped make organ
donation possible.
Strict
medical criteria have been established to define brain
death. The condition is always determined by physicians
who do not participate in organ procurement or transplantation.
To
insure viability of the internal organs such as heart, lung,
liver,pancreas and kidneys, individuals without brain function
must be maintained on a respirator. Donation of eyes,
bone, skin and other tissues does not require maintenance
on a respirator.
|
| Does
donation leave the body disfigured? Can
there be an open casket? |
| Donation
neither disfigures the body nor changes the way it looks
in
a casket. A highly skilled surgical team will remove
the organs and tissues in the hospital, leaving the body intact
for burial arrangements. |
| Are
there any costs to my family for donation? |
| No. Donation
costs nothing to the donor's family is responsible for regular
hospital charges not involved with the donation,
and the donor's funeral arrangements. |
| Will
my religion approve of donation? |
| Most
major religions approve of donation and consider it a Gift,
an act of charity. However, if in doubt talk to your
spiritual leader. |
| Could
a conflict between saving my life and using my organs for a
transplant exist? |
| Never. Organ and tissue recovery takes place only after all efforts
to save your life have been exhausted and death has been legally
declared. Entirely different medical teams are called
to recover organs and tissue, they are never the same personnel
working to save your life. |
