Donation Essentials Blog

October 13, 2025

Organ Donation Terms We Don’t Use and Why

How certain words are used can have a significant impact, especially when it comes to organ, eye and tissue donation. This list provides guidelines around which organ donation terms to avoid and the most appropriate terminology to use instead.

October 30, 2024

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 […]

October 23, 2024

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 […]

October 8, 2024

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 […]

September 27, 2024

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 […]

September 2, 2024

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 […]

August 28, 2024

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. […]

August 20, 2024

Transplantation Science: Learning About the Science of Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation.

Transplantation Science: Learning About the Science of Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation. A new school year means new beginnings and new courses! Students and teachers in Colorado and Wyoming are going back to school, which means Donor Alliance is looking forward to inspiring and educating students in its communities through its unique Transplantation Science program. […]

August 5, 2024

Advocate Spotlight: Andrea Ogg

Donor Alliance volunteers and advocates are the heart and soul of our efforts to inspire and inform our community about the importance of signing up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor in Colorado and Wyoming. Each of our volunteers and advocates has their own unique and inspiring story to tell. In this advocate […]