喵咪社区

Giving the gift of life is easier than you think, a 喵咪社区 transplant coordinator explains.

The desire to leave a lasting legacy is universal. Fortunately, each of us can leave a legacy that will last a lifetime simply by registering to be an organ, tissue or eye donor.  

Here are six important facts about how to designate yourself as an organ donor that Ernie Villalon, BSN, RN, CCTC, CPTC, a transplant coordinator with the 喵咪社区 Transplant Institute, part of 喵咪社区, wants you to know. 

Registering as an organ donor is easy. 

The route most people take to organ and tissue donation runs right through the DMV. Whether you鈥檙e renewing or applying for a driver鈥檚 license or a state ID, when you check that box on the application indicating that you want to be a donor, you鈥檝e 鈥渙fficially鈥� added your name to the registry of organ, tissue and eye donors, Villalon says. Congratulations! 

An alternative path, he continues, involves filling out the online form provided by , a nonprofit organization that educates the public about organ and tissue donation and maintains the state record of donor registrations. 

And while some people specify their wish to donate in an advance directive 鈥� a legal document that lets individuals choose their preferred end-of-life or emergency care 鈥� unless health care teams can access that document in an emergency, your desire to donate may go unvoiced. And for that reason, Villalon says, 鈥淭he DMV or California state donor registry is the essential repository that鈥檚 more reliable.鈥� 

Anyone can register to be an organ donor. 

Registering as an organ donor or tissue donor is 鈥渁n all-inclusive thing,鈥� Villalon says: Regardless of age or health status, it鈥檚 open to you. 

Individuals must be 13 or older to register online. Anyone under age 18 requires a legal guardian鈥檚 consent to add their name to the roster. But there鈥檚 no age cap on donating, and even people in their 90s have donated organs and tissues, according to Donate Life California. 

That said, 鈥淭he reality is that nearly all people who have registered as donors probably won鈥檛 get to that point,鈥� Villalon notes. 

The reasons vary and often boil down to the balance between which organs and tissues are needed and which are available in suitable condition for donation. But in the end, Villalon says, 鈥淲hat makes a good organ donor is just signing up! That鈥檚 the most important thing.鈥� 

How to remove organ donor status 

When you register as an organ and tissue donor, you establish what鈥檚 called 鈥渇irst-person authorization.鈥� And Villalon says, 鈥淭his choice is irrevocable unless you revoke or change it yourself.鈥� 

You can do so at any time by updating your profile at Donate Life California, which allows you not only to stipulate which organs and tissues you鈥檙e comfortable donating, but to remove yourself from the registry entirely should you change your mind. 

And crucially, Villalon says, as long as you鈥檙e 18 or older, no one else can make these decisions except you 鈥� not even your family. 鈥淚f that registered donor is, in fact, a suitable medical candidate for donation,鈥� he says, 鈥渋t will 丑补辫辫别苍.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

鈥淪o, the big takeaway,鈥� Villalon continues, 鈥渋s that if you have any wish to donate organs or tissues, you need to let your family or whoever will be in charge of medical decision-making on your behalf know ahead of time.鈥� 

Donating an organ doesn鈥檛 compromise any medical care you receive. 

A frequent concern among prospective donors is the possibility that designating yourself as such might compromise medical care in an emergency. But Villalon stresses that the opposite is true. 

鈥淓ven if the paramedics see that you鈥檙e a donor,鈥� he insists, 鈥測ou鈥檒l get the same standard of care no matter what. And medical professionals in the ER won鈥檛 look at your license to see if you鈥檙e a donor or not; they鈥檒l see you as a patient whose life they need to save.鈥� 

In fact, when a patient becomes a donor, the hospital keeps them on life support and follows what are known as catastrophic brain-injury guidelines to manage and optimize the state of the organs and tissues for donation. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 a whole protocol of treatments to improve heartbeat, blood pressure and oxygenation,鈥� Villalon explains. 鈥淭hese medical professionals actually do a little bit more.鈥澛�

Donation is compatible with a full funeral. 

Funerals and burial services are important end-of-life rituals across cultures, and the possibility that organ or tissue donation might delay or otherwise interfere with them can deter some from considering donation. Villalon says they needn鈥檛 worry. 

鈥淥rgan-procurement organizations have family-care specialists to discuss funeral plans with the donor鈥檚 survivors,鈥� he says. 鈥淲ill there be an open casket? What will your family member wear? How soon is the service?鈥� 

And surgeons practice discretion in their work, placing incisions where clothing will hide them, retrieving skin donations from the back and replacing limbs removed for, say, a bone donation with prosthetics 鈥渢o help maintain the limb鈥檚 natural form,鈥� Villalon assures. 

Donation is confidential 鈥� unless you choose to communicate. 

Organ and tissue donation is a sensitive matter 鈥� which explains why it remains strictly confidential, just as patient health information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Villalon says. 

So shortly after donation, the donor鈥檚 family and the recipient will receive general anonymized information about each other 鈥� for example, 鈥淒onor is a male in his 20s from California.鈥� But if parties on either the donor or recipient side feel compelled to learn more or even reach out, they have avenues for doing so. Organ-procurement organizations and transplant centers alike can arrange contact, which starts with writing a letter. They then forward that letter to the intended recipient, and if that recipient wants to respond, they can send their own letter in turn. 

And if the parties want to progress to an actual meeting? Organ-procurement organizations can facilitate those as well, Villalon says. 鈥淭hey act as chaperons, basically, because it鈥檚 a very emotional experience. You can imagine what it鈥檚 like.鈥�

Topics