A national system matches available organs from the donor with people on the waiting list based on blood type, body size, how sick they are, donor distance, tissue type, and time on the list.

Medical staff will always work to save your life whether you are an organ donor or not.

Deceased organ donation is the process of giving an organ or a part of an organ at the time of the donor’s death for the purpose of transplantation to another person. Only after ALL efforts to save the patient’s life have been exhausted, tests have been performed to confirm the absence of brain or brainstem activity, and brain death has been declared, is donation a possibility.

There is no cost to the donor’s family or estate for donation. The donor family pays only for medical expenses before death and costs associated with funeral arrangements.

Funeral arrangements of your choice are possible, including a viewing. Through the entire donation process the body is treated with care and respect. Following donation, funeral arrangements can continue as planned.

Your age does not matter for donating!

The oldest tissue donor in the world was 107 years old when they donated their corneas. The oldest organ donor was 98 years old when they donated their liver. And the youngest organ donor was 74 minutes old when they donated their kidneys and their liver cells.

Your wealth or fame does NOT impact your position on the transplant waitlist.

A person's sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression does NOT prevent that person from becoming an organ donor (deceased or living).

All major world religions support organ donation.

You can donate your heart, both lungs, liver, both kidneys, your pancreas, and small intestine.

The kidneys are the most commonly needed organ as well as the most commonly donated organ.

As a living donor you can donate 1 lung, 1 kidney, part of your liver (it grows back), part of your pancreas, and part of your small intestine.

You can donate tissues including plasma, bone and associated tissue, tendons, eyes/corneas, heart valves, skin, veins and arteries, and nerves.

People of African American/Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native and multiracial descent currently make up 60% of individuals on the national organ transplant waiting list.

Although donation and transplantation can take place successfully between individuals from different racial or ethnic groups, transplant success is often better when organs are matched between people of the same racial or ethnic background.

The HOPE (HIV Organ Policy Equity) Act has made possible organ donation and transplantation between HIV positive donors and HIV positive recipients.