Donation Essentials Blog
What You Should Know About Pancreas Transplants
Pancreas transplants are among the rarest organ transplants performed each year. These procedures have become increasingly uncommon since 2004. There are different reasons for this, including difficulty in both the recovery and transplantation processes. Other available treatments that are less invasive than a transplant and strict criteria that limits the eligibility for many donors. What […]
Can You Sell Organs in the United States?
Can You Sell Organs in the United States? Donor Alliance is occasionally asked whether someone can sell their organs or receive some form of financial incentive for donating them. In short, the answer is NO. Selling Organs in the United States is Illegal The National Organ Transplant Act, which was passed in 1984, makes it […]
Did You Know: You Might Be A Tissue Recipient?
What is Tissue Donation? Many people understand the importance of being an organ donor, but did you know you can also save and heal lives through tissue donation? In fact, you might have already benefited from a tissue donation without even realizing it! Tissue donation is an incredible gift that allows one person to […]
What is Brain Death? Key Facts for Organ Donation and Transplantation
What is Brain Death? Many people have heard the term “Brain Death”, but few truly understand what it means. Organs are most commonly recovered after brain death, when all brain function has permanently stopped. Brain death is not the same as being in a coma or a persistent vegetative state, and a physician declares brain […]
Improving the Organ Donation System with On-Site Recovery Centers
Improving the Organ Donation System with On-Site Recovery Centers Every 8 minutes, someone is added to the transplant waiting list. Right now, in Colorado and Wyoming, nearly 1,300 people await a lifesaving organ transplant. Nationwide, more than 100,000 people are on the transplant waiting list. The need for lifesaving organ donations is urgent. Unfortunately, widespread […]
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 […]
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 […]