Donor Opportunities: Organ and Tissue Donation

You Can Donate More Than Your Heart, Lungs, Liver or Kidneys

When many of us think of organ and tissue donation, we think of major body parts and skin that are donated by a loved one's family after he or she dies. Until the illness and death of a friend, I knew very little about this subject. I'd heard of donating major body organs such as lungs, heart, kidneys, and liver, but it wasn't until faced with the situation that I learned the real extent of organ and tissue donation. I was also surprised to learn the importance of not minimizing anyone's potential for organ and tissue donation, including all the possibilities that exist for living donors.

There are four types of organ and tissue donation: major body organs, tissue, stem cells, and blood and blood platelets.

Organs

Organ donation includes heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, and small intestine. Although most organ donations are from people who have died, living people can donate a single kidney or a part of their small intestine, liver, pancreas, or lung. Organ donations cannot be stored, but must be used within hours of surgical removal.

Tissue

Tissue donation includes eyes and corneas, heart valves, cardiovascular tissue, bone, tendons and ligaments, the middle ear, and skin. Tissue donations can be stored in tissue banks to be used in recipients at a later time.

Stem cells

Stem cell donation includes marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, and umbilical cord stem cells. Stem cell donors and recipients must have a closely matched tissue type and are, therefore, most likely to be of the same race or ethnicity.

Blood and blood platelets

Blood and blood platelet donation involves donating replaceable life-sustaining blood which can be used whole or as red cells, plasma, and platelets. Platelets are actually obtained without a person donating blood. Blood is drawn from a donor, and the platelets are separated from the whole blood. The blood is then returned to the donor, and the platelets are replenished within hours. It's safe to donate blood every 2 months and platelets twice a week, but not more than 24 times a year. Blood is typed and stored in a blood bank until needed.