The greatest gift
One person’s decision to share the gifts of life, sight and healing has the power to bring something positive to a tragic situation. It allows someone waiting for a lifesaving transplant to have a precious second chance at life.
The importance of registering your decision as an organ, eye and tissue donor is critical – only 1 percent of the population is able to donate after their death. It’s critical to be educated on the donation process to ensure those waiting for a transplant have an opportunity to receive the gift of life they so desperately need.
A ripple effect
In facilitating the donation process, Lifeline of Ohio is privileged to touch the lives of so many caring and compassionate families whose loved ones have shared the gifts of life through organ, eye and tissue donation. Likewise, we are inspired by the energy and gratitude of those individuals who have received a second chance at life because of a stranger’s generosity. Their stories reveal the power of donation – of families intertwined in a legacy of life.
The donation process
The need for donated organs, corneas and tissues is growing at a much greater rate than their availability. And while transplantation is now considered a standard medical treatment for a wide variety of conditions, it is important to remember that without an individual saying “yes” to donation, transplants are not possible.
Step One: Making the decision to become a registered donor
Any individual who is 15 ½ years old or older and holds a valid Ohio driver’s license, learner’s permit or state ID card can authorize the donation of their organs, corneas and tissue by joining the Ohio Donor Registry (ODR). After the decision to be a registered donor has been made, please have a conversation with your loved ones.
Once an individual is in the ODR, no one else has to provide authorization for the donation. However, for individuals 15 1/2 to 18 years old, their parents or legal guardians can revoke or amend their authorization for donation.
Step Two: An individual is added to the waitlist for a lifesaving organ transplant
There are hundreds of thousands of Americans waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant so they can have a second chance at life. Sadly, there are not enough organ donors to meet the growing need, resulting in the deaths of 20 men, women or children each day.
Step Three: From tragedy to triumph
- The donation process begins when a hospital contacts the local organ procurement organization, as required by Federal law, to report a death.
- A coordinator makes an initial evaluation as to the medical suitability of the individual for organ, eye and tissue donation.
- If the individual is suitable for donation, the Ohio Donor Registry will be accessed to determine if the decedent was registered as a donor. If the individual is not registered, the coordinator will discuss the option of donation with the individual’s next of kin.
- Upon obtaining documentation of consent, either by first-person consent (Ohio Donor Registry) or by the individual’s family, an appropriate donor match is made.
Step Four: Aftercare for our donor families
In facilitating the donation process, Lifeline of Ohio is privileged to touch the lives of so many caring and compassionate families whose loved one has shared gifts through organ, eye and tissue donation. Likewise, we are inspired by the energy and gratitude of those individuals who have received a second chance at life because of a stranger’s generosity.
Lifeline of Ohio’s Bereavement Services Department offers a thirteen-month aftercare program providing supportive resources for donor families at eight different intervals throughout the grief journey.
Cornea and tissue donation
With cornea and tissue donation, there is not a national waiting list. Medical matching for tissue donation is not necessary because the donated tissue is processed before it is implanted into a recipient as an allograft (tissue that is transplanted from one person to another). Additionally, it is not necessary for tissue recipients to take medications after their transplants because the tissue is purified in preparation for transplantation. The Food and Drug Administration regulates the country’s tissue banks.