Give the Gift of Life

April Is National Donate Life Month

By Dylan Roche

An estimated 100,000 people in the United States are waiting— right now—for an organ transplant that could save their life according to the Mayo Clinic. Every nine minutes, a new name is added to that list. And every day, as many as 20 people across the country pass away in need of an organ.

While these numbers sound distressing, there’s good news. Most people, whether they’re young or old, whether they’re in ideal health or feeling a little wear and tear, are eligible to donate organs and tissue that could change these situations and these lives. For some people, that donation might be one they make while they’re still alive (a choice that’s available for a surprising number of organs and tissues). For others, they might agree to donate after they pass away. A single organ donor might be able to save up to eight lives, and a tissue donor can save up to 75!

To spread awareness of these hopeful numbers, and to encourage more people to register as donors, the organization Donate Life America deemed April to be Donate Life Month in 2003, and in the 20 years since, it has grown to be a poignant annual observance in the conversation surrounding organ and tissue transplantation.

Believe it or not, anyone can register as an organ and tissue donor, encompassing people of all ages, races, ethnicities, genders, and religious backgrounds. Organs that can be transplanted include kidneys, hearts, lungs, livers, pancreases, and intestines. Body tissue can be donated, as well as tendons, skin, bones, corneas, arteries, and heart valves. While some of these organs will be transplanted from a person after they die (as the donor cannot survive without them), you might be surprised by how much you can donate when you’re still alive and healthy—without much significant impact on your life.

Most notably, living people can donate one of their two kidneys, as one healthy kidney is able to sufficiently remove waste from the body by itself. (Thus, a kidney is the most donated organ.) Living donors can also give part of their liver, lungs, pancreas, and intestines. Liver cells will regenerate, allowing a liver that was partially donated to grow back to its previous size. While the lungs, pancreas, and intestines don’t regenerate in this way, you can still survive just fine without the full tissue.

Some donors make a point of donating blood and bone marrow on a regular basis, and if they’ve had surgery, they have the option of donating any removed tissue, such as skin removed during a cosmetic procedure or bone that was removed during a hip/knee replacement.

And for anyone feeling a little queasy about the idea of donating organs and tissues, the Cleveland Clinic notes that most transplants are able to be done without any visible scarring, and most people are able to return to their normal daily lives within a month.

It’s also important to dispel many of the pervasive myths and misconceptions that make people unsure of donating. The Mayo Clinic emphasizes that the family of a deceased person will never be charged extra fees for donating their organs, and organ donation does not cause funeral delays or imply a funeral cannot be done with an open casket. Additionally, there is no such thing as a doctor “letting a patient die” because they want to use their organs for a transplant. A doctor’s priority will always be to save the life of the sick or injured person, regardless of whether they are a donor or not.

Although organ and tissue transplants have such significant power to save and transform lives, less than half of Americans are registered to be organ donors after they die. You have the option of listing yourself as an organ donor when you get your driver’s license, but it’s also important to talk to your loved ones about what you wish to have happen to your body if you die.

To sign up with the Health Resources & Services Administration’s official registry—and to read up on personal stories of people who received organ transplants, or to find information about upcoming official National Donation Awareness events—visit organdonor.gov.