Latest News

30 Aug

One of the most common questions we get at Donate Life California is if a whole-body donation is accepted. Donate Life California is solely responsible for managing the organ and tissue donor registry for California. We can not accept a whole body donation, as dictated by the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.

At Donate Life California, our mission is to save lives through organ and tissue donation. We only focus on recovering organs and tissues to gift to persons on the transplant waiting list. Whole body donation programs are specifically targeted for furthering positive scientific research. These programs vary in their scope and research – from developing cures to diseases to understanding additional functions of the human body – all of which are noteworthy and laudable causes, as well.

Whole-body donation, on the other hand, is a different type of program when a donor’s body is gifted to an entity (normally a research university) for research or educational purposes. In most cases, these programs keep the donor’s body and do not return it, or only do when they finish with their research.

How Does The Organ Recovery Process Work?

When one of our local organ procurement organizations receives a referral for an organ donor, the donation process begins and usually takes around 24 hours. Once the process is complete and we have recovered all of the viable organs and tissue possible, we coordinate the return of the donor’s body to a hospital, mortuary, or funeral home. The donor family can then proceed with whatever burial rites

Donate Life California cannot legally keep a body once the donation procedure has finished. We do not provide any cremation or burial services. We will arrange for any necessary transportation and cover any costs. Once we return the body to the donor family, they can proceed to with any funeral arrangements they planned.

For additional information on the donation process, click here.

Can I Be Registered for both Organ Donation and Whole-Body Donation?

A quick answer to this question: it depends on the program you signed up with. Some whole-body donor programs may have a need for a donor’s entire body for research purposes. They may request that you refrain from being an organ and/or tissue donor. Other whole-body donation programs may focus on a specific body part, organ, or tissue that may not be able to be recovered for gifting, but other organs and tissue would be recoverable to gift to those on the transplant waiting list.

If you are both an organ donor and whole-body donor, we suggest that you contact your whole-body donation program. This way, you can clarify what their program needs so that your donation wishes are respected. Whether you are a registered organ donor or a whole-body donor (or both!), you are giving yourself to a cause greater than you and we thank you for helping save lives.

To sign up as an organ and tissue donor and help save up to eight lives and affect another seventy-five, click here.

16 Aug

By
Jim Martin

in
CEO Blog

CEO Blog : Celebrating Summer & the Gift of Life

Everyone knows Californians love our summers. Whether we’re heading to the beach, taking a hike, or hitting the ballpark we’re celebrating the gift of life. All of us within the donation community know how important that gift is, the lives it can change, and the importance of celebrating life.

This summer, the Donate Life California team has been working hard to ensure our mission to save lives by increasing opportunities for Californians to join the organ, eye and tissue registry. It’s been a balance of hard work and a lot of fun as we help increase access to the gift of life.

Donate Life Califonia Finds A New Home in the Capital Region

Our team has recently marked the one year anniversary of moving the organization to the capital area in West Sacramento. With our offices being located near the Capitol, we have seen a great advantage in our legislative efforts for 2018 and in building the necessary relationships needed to protect and promote organ, eye and tissue donation.

The summer is also a busy time in the legislature. This year the Donate Life California team has been fighting to increase opportunities for Californians to give the gift of life by working on three pieces of legislation this year:

AB 2096 which establishes Donate Life California as one of the organizations to which taxpayers may make donations on the Franchise Tax Boards personal income tax forms.
AB 3211 which clarifies donation language used on the State’s template for Advanced Healthcare Directives.
SB 987 which adds clarification language about organ, eye, and tissue donation to the DMV’s DL 44 Form.

Find out more about these bills within our recent legislative update.

The office move has also facilitated a continued close relationship with California DMV leadership, a critical partner in our registration of new donors across the state. Recently, we’ve seen significant gains of 25% over traditional donor registration rates which are mainly attributable to Real ID requirements and technology advancements at the DMV. These increases have been noted over the last 6 weeks and we are anticipating their continuance until much later in 2018.

We’re Already Getting Ready to Celebrate the Gift of Life at the Rose Parade!

You might not believe it, but the summer is a busy time in regards to the Donate Life Rose Parade Float. The float’s team is working hard to ensure we’re all up and running as decorating and events start in just a few months.

As a sponsor of the float, Donate Life California will soon be announcing our 2019 Floragraph honoree so keep an eye out!

After attending the event at the start of the year I can tell you, it is hard not to be moved to emotion when hearing the stories of donors and recipients, meeting their families, and understanding the sacrifices and resilience of all involved.

The event connects thousands of volunteer hours to our mission in the construction and decoration of the Float. Donors, donor families, and recipients are all honored in the process and convene in Pasadena to celebrate the gift of life provided by organ donation. I am humbled to know and to have met so many great people who choose to celebrate lives lost and the gift of time given through organ donation. I can’t think of a better community of which to be a part of. I’m happy to be able to participate in this event on an annual basis, allowing me to grow my circle of friends and realize the altruistic impact donors and donor families choose to make.

Donate Life Celebrates at Events Around the State

Summer is a busy time around the state for all our organ procurement organizations who’ve been putting on events to share the message of donation and celebrate the gift of life. There have been run/walk events, Donate Life Days at MLB Ballparks, and so much more.

Our team has been heading out to many of these events and hope you’ll join us at one near you in the future. Be sure to keep an eye out on our event calendar or your local OPO’s event page. We hope to see you at an event soon!

We have other irons in the fire, so to speak, so be sure to keep an eye out for our newsletters in your inbox and follow us on social media for more updates.

10 Aug

By
Ruy Laredo

in
Events News

California Teams Bring Home Big Wins From the 2018 Transplant Games of America

Game on! This past week, Salt Lake City hosted the 2018 Transplant Games of America! This biennial competition boasted a gathering of over 40 teams with hundreds of transplant recipients and living donors. We were incredibly proud to have two teams representing the beautiful Golden State: Team NorCal and Team SoCal!

Pictured: Team SoCal wins the gold medal in the Volleyball competition.

All the athletes were given an opportunity to participate in a variety of events: 5K Run/Walk, Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Cornhole, Cycling, Darts, Golf, Racquetball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Texas Hold ‘em Poker, Trivia Challenge, Virtual Triathlon, Volleyball, Ballroom Dancing, Pickle Ball, Youth Olympiad, Track and Field, and Lyrics for Life.

Nearly 90 Californian athletes participated in over 20 competitions for the chance to win bronze, silver and gold medals. Together, Team NorCal and Team SoCal brought back home a whopping 208 medals, 93 of which were gold!

Pictured: Lloyd Tucker of Team SoCal in action during the 4x100m Team Relay.

“The Transplant Games are an amazing experience for the transplant community, and I am honored to help lead our team in Salt Lake City,” said Debbie Morgan, Team SoCal’s president and former Transplant Games athlete. “The emotion we share as we trade stories is unforgettable. From watching a 10-year-old stop short of the finish line during his race so that a younger boy on a walker could take home the bronze medal, to experiencing the whole stadium cheering on a woman as she slowly finished her race in last place, the Transplant Games of America provide memorable experiences that go beyond competing.”

For additional coverage on California’s presence at the Transplant Games, visit Donor Network West and OneLegacy’s Facebook pages.

And the Winner of the Transplant Games Team Cup Award is…

One of the many awards given out during the Transplant Games of America is the Team Cup Award. The Cup is awarded on the last day of the Games to the team of 15 or more organ recipients that won the most medals per person during the Games.

We are absolutely ecstatic to announce that Team NorCal won the Team Cup Award at the Transplant Games of America! Team NorCal went in with 37 athletes and walked away with 120 medals, a stunning feat! Congrats Team NorCal!

Pictured: Team NorCal receiving the Team Cup Award.

A New Guinness World Record Set!

As if all the medals weren’t enough, both teams also helped break a Guinness World Record: “Largest Amount of Solid Organ Recipients in a Single Place.” 540 people were in attendance to help set this new record, breaking the previous one organized in Turkey earlier this year. Kudos to all of those who participated and helped shine a spotlight on donation!

Pictured: Participants in the Guinness World Record-breaking attempt of the largest gathering of transplant recipients.

We want to thank all the organizers of the 2018 Transplant Games for running such a smooth operation in Salt Lake City and a thank you to Yes Utah! for being such welcoming hosts! We look forward to the next set of Games in 2020.

Congratulations to all the transplant recipients and living donors coming home with medals, you’ve made all of California proud! Join in the effort in supporting organ and tissue donation by signing up as a donor today!