The State of Ohio & Organ Donation
Top 3 Donation Takeaways
- Only 1-2% of all deaths in the United States happen in a manner where organ donation is a potential.
- Over the age of 18, if someone is registered, it is a legally-binding decision. Next-of-kin can overrule the donation decision of someone registered under the age of 18.
- Doctors do everything they can to save the person before them. Only after death has been declared does the potential for donation come forth.
Honoring Donation in Ohio in 2024
Items of Note About Donation
Fact Sheet, Stats and Service Area
- Ohio organ, eye and tissue donation recovery agencies.
- The national transplant waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant is rising at an alarming rate, with more than 100,000 individuals currently on the list.
- Close to 60% of Ohioans are registered organ, eye and tissue donors. In the United States, 50% are registered donors.
- In Ohio, more than 2,700 people are waiting for an organ transplant, and hundreds more await tissue and corneal transplants.
- Approximately 17 times each day a man, woman or child dies for lack of an available organ. Once every 48 hours, an Ohioan dies waiting. Thousands more are waiting for tissue and corneal transplants.
- In the United States, 45,000 organ transplants and 1.75 million tissue transplants were performed in 2024.
A New Way to Register Donors in August 2024!
Governor DeWine signed House Bill 256 into law in December 2024. The law, which goes into effect in August 2025, will allow Ohioans to say “YES” to organ donation when registering for hunting and fishing licenses.
The bill was brought forth by Kevin Miller (R-Newark) and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria). This bill requires the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to inquire about organ donation when someone registers for a hunting or fishing license.
How Does An Ohioan Register As A Donor?
Ohioans may declare their decision to become a donor by registering online through www.donatelifeohio.org. Additionally, individuals may declare their decision when at the BMV.
The Ohio Donor Registry is an individual’s first-person authorization to donate the gift of life at the time of their death, if possible, through organ, eye and tissue donation.
Donate Life Ohio encourages everyone to talk to their loved ones about their donation decision. When the next-of-kin knows their loved one’s decision at the time of death, it is one of the most helpful steps a grieving family can take to deal with its loss.
Who is Donate Life Ohio?
Donate Life Ohio is a coalition of the state’s organ, eye and tissue recovery agencies dedicated to educating Ohioans about the need for registered donors and inspiring them to join the Ohio Donor Registry. These include:
- Lifeline of Ohio in Columbus
- Lifebanc in Cleveland
- Life Connection of Ohio in Dayton and Toledo
- Network for Hope in Cincinnati
- Central Ohio Lions Eye Bank
- Cincinnati Eye Bank
- Eversight
- Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio
- Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP) in Cleveland.
- Solvita
*Additional information may be obtained at www.donatelifeohio.org.
Resources from the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations
Ohio Man Waits for a Heart
Jermayne Harris has been waiting for a lifesaving heart transplant for nearly six years. The new father is currently listed at the Cleveland Clinic and hopes to one day be able to run around with his daughter, Jya.
To help him bridge to transplant, he has a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that keeps his heart pumping while he waits for a transplant. This is implanted in his chest and he cannot get wet, and he also does not have a pulse.
Read more about Jermayne’s wait for a new heart.
Ohio Heart Recipient Advocates on Capitol Hill
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Encourages Ohioans to Register
Donor parents Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine share this very special message encouraging all Ohioans to register their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor. Their daughter Becky was a tissue and cornea donor who healed many through her gifts of donation.