Donation Essentials Blog
One Simple Choice at the DMV Can Save Lives: Donor Alliance Launches “Check the Box” Campaign
There’s a moment at the DMV that holds more power than many realize. Between updating our address and choosing a photo, there’s a small box asking if we want to become an organ, eye, and tissue donor. For many Coloradans, that box represents something much bigger than a simple yes or no, it’s a chance […]
How are patients selected to receive a transplant?
How Are Transplant Patients Selected? Understanding U.S. Organ Allocation Policy Who decides where donated organs go and how matches are made? The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) does just that. This nonprofit manages the national transplant system, working 24/7 to connect donors with patients waiting for a second chance at life. The organization’s policies […]
Who Can’t Be an Organ, Eye and Tissue Donor?
Donor Alliance is often asked who can’t be an organ, eye and tissue donor. The short answer is, everyone has the potential to be an organ, eye and tissue donor! Even if you have a chronic illness or health condition when you pass away, you still may be able to give the gift of life […]
How Tissue Donation Impacts Breast Cancer Journey
Breast Cancer Awareness: How Tissue Donation Impacts Experiences with Double Mastectomy and Reconstruction October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Donor Alliance is educating people about how the lifesaving and healing gifts of tissue can help those recovering from a double mastectomy. One person can save up to eight lives through organ donation and save […]
How Are Organs and Tissues Transported for Transplant?
Curious how organs are transported for transplant? All local organs for transplant are accompanied by a certified courier and/or tracked using a monitoring device. It’s important to keep a few facts in mind when about how organs are transported: The time donor kidneys remain viable outside the body allows for the use of commercial […]
Understanding Lung Transplants & Lung Transplant Surgery
October is Healthy Lung Month, an observance dedicated to raising awareness about lung health and encourage people to take steps to maintain healthy lungs. Currently, nearly 1,000 people in the United States are on the waitlist for a lifesaving lung transplant. This requires lung transplant surgery. According to the Organ Procurement Transplant Network, so far in […]
Expanding the Impact of Bone Marrow Transplants
Bone marrow transplants, also known as a stem cell transplant, are sometimes the only line of treatment for patients facing blood cancers and other diseases. Especially diseases that compromise the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells. Replacing damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells restores the body’s ability to generate red blood […]
National DMV Appreciation Month 2024
What is National DMV Appreciation Month? National DMV Appreciation Month occurs in September each year and is a time for Organ Procurement Organizations and Donate Life America to show their appreciation for DMV partners across the country. In Colorado and Wyoming, about 99% of organ and tissue donor registrations come through DMV and Driver Services […]
What is Tissue Matching? Understanding Donor Tissue Compatibility
Tissue matching, also known as histocompatibility testing, represents an important element related to the transplantation of organs and tissues. It helps define compatibility between tissues of the donor and the recipient to decrease chances of transplant rejection. The immune system might think the new tissue is a foreign body and launch an attack on it. […]