When thinking about why someone may remove themselves from the registry, age is often a topic of discussion. Donate Life California gets numerous calls of Californians thinking they are too old to donate. The truth is, don’t rule yourself out! Every person is different and because of this we have had organ donors at the age of 93 and older become donors. Let the medical professionals at that time determine if you would be a suitable donor.
Not Satisfied? Meet Carlton
Carlton lived in Texas, a retired teacher and devoted father. His friends and family would describe him as a remarkable person who never stopped teaching his family about the many wonders of the world. Just nine days shy of his 93rd birthday, he became an organ donor. Carlton’s wife and children made the decision to donate Carlton’s liver following his death from a brain hemorrhage.
Thanks to that decision, a 69-year-old woman suffering from end-stage liver disease is alive. Carlton is the perfect example that age is no barrier to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor.
Think about Carlton next time you are considering your options and reflect on how important it is to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor regardless of age. To register today or check your registry status go to: www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or you can call our hotline at 1-866-797-2366.
For many, the organ and tissue donation process may be one they are completely unfamiliar with, even if they are registered donors. Many misunderstandings and myths about how organs and tissue are recovered have been shared throughout social media and even been perpetrated on television for several decades. Today, we want to give you a quick rundown on how the process actually works.
Registering as a Donor
The first step is registering to be an organ and tissue donor! For decades, Donate Life California has worked with the California Department of Motor Vehicles to register donors throughout the state. Anyone can register as a donor at the DMV when they go in to apply for or renew a California Driver’s License or identification card.
On your license or ID application or renewal form, you will be asked if you would like to be registered as an organ or tissue donor. Simply check the box marked “YES! I want to be an organ, eye and tissue donor” and you will be put on the Donate Life California Donor Registry. Additionally, if you don’t find yourself at a DMV anytime soon and want to register as a donor at your own convenience, you can register on our website here.
You also have the ability to remove yourself from the registry at any point by contacting Donate Life California.
The Organ Donation Process
One of the most common myths out there regarding organ donation is that emergency medical personnel will not attempt to save your life if they see you are an organ and tissue donor. This is false. Whether someone is in a hospital or at the scene of an accident, every effort is made to save your life. Organ donation is not even discussed during these life-saving procedures. Medical professionals, such as doctors, have taken oaths to do no harm and that includes placing anything, including donation, above saving a patient’s life.
Only after all lifesaving procedures have been exhausted does the next step in the process take place – the referral of a potential donor. This only happens when an individual is declared brain dead by two different doctors unrelated to the transplant process. Alternatively, the referral process can also begin when the family of the deceased takes them off mechanical support. Only then do hospitals refer the patient to the local organ procurement organization (OPO) to begin a conversation about donation.
After a potential donor is referred, medical staff from the OPO begin to evaluate the deceased to determine if they are a suitable candidate for donation. Once this review is completed, the OPO staff will speak to the family if the deceased individual is eligible to be a donor.
Once the potential donor has been evaluated, the family is then notified if their loved one had registered to be an organ donor. If no decision had been made beforehand, the individual’s family then decides whether to move forward with the donation process or not. We always recommend sharing your decision on donation with your family so that they are aware of your wishes.
It is at this point, once consent is granted by the donor’s family or by the individual through the Donate Life California Registry, that the organ and tissue recovery can take place. The donor’s family is given a chance to say goodbye to their loved one and any additional testing would also occur at this step. When any organs and tissue are then recovered, the United Network for Organ Sharing finds a suitable match for someone on the organ and tissue transplant waiting list.
After the recovery procedure is finished, the OPO returns the body to the family. The donor’s family can then proceed with any funeral arrangement they had planned, be it open casket or cremation. Our OPOs will ensure that the organ and tissue recovery process will not interfere with your after-death plans.
We hope that this has been informative enough and cleared up any questions you may have had about the organ donation process! If you have any additional questions, please visit our website at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org for additional information.
Each year, to thank the California Department of Motor Vehicles for their ongoing support of organ, eye and tissue donation, Donate Life California selects a Rose Parade Honoree who is a donor with ties to the DMV.
Our honoree is included on the annual Donate Life Rose Parade Float, which is sponsored by dozens of Donate Life related organizations from around the nation.
We’re happy to share with you that this year’s Rose Parade Honoree by Donate Life California will be tissue donor Steve Sepulveda, whose sister-in-law Adriana Murrufo-Burton works at the Pomona Field Office.
Honoring Our Heroes at the Rose Parade
Steve will be one of 44 donors honored on the 2019 Donate Life Rose Parade Float. The float’s theme, Rhythm of the Heart, honors music as the universal language that unites and heals people from different cultures and walks of life. Organ recipients, living donors and donor families will find this theme very close to their hearts.
This year marks the 16th year that the Donate Life Rose Parade Float continues its mission to save and heal lives by sharing the gift of life and delivering the message of organ, eye and tissue donation to the world. Families of deceased donors are honored to see their loved ones’ floral images highlighted as part of the float. Living donors and recipients bring the float to life by riding or walking beside the float. This year’s parade theme, The Melody of Life, celebrates the power of music – the universal language – in bringing us together.
The power of music can bring healing to donors and recipients alike, as well as hope to millions of people who will watch the Donate Life float on January 1, 2019, as it rides through the streets of Pasadena.
Learn About This Year’s Rose Parade Honoree
Steve Sepulveda was born January 10, 1969, in El Paso TX. He was raised in and lived in Los Angeles until his passing on July 7, 2013 at the age of 44. Steve was a great son, a wonderful father and an amazing husband. He left behind two daughters, his wife, his mother and two siblings.
As a kid, Steve had a lot of energy and loved to play sports. He played high school football and basketball and attended Humboldt University after graduating. Steve and his spouse were school friends while in elementary school and remained friends through high school. It wasn’t until after college that they began dating. He was married for 17 years and had two beautiful young daughters.
Steve lost his father in 1987 and became a support system for his younger sibling and mother. He enjoyed family time, golf, camping, taking his girls to the parks and pools, and dates with his wife.
Steve passed from an enlarged heart and his family likes to tell people “Steve had a big heart.” This showed in his decision to become a donor. He was the type of person that if you needed help with anything, he would do what he could to be of assistance in any way. Steve would feel comfort in knowing his donation helped others. His family knows he is no longer with them, but in a way, he is still part of this world.
Saying Thank You to Our DMV Partners
Over the past years, Donate Life California has honored a variety of DMV employees, family members, and others who gave the gift of life. The mission of organ, eye and tissue donation is close to the heart of DMV employees.
Each year, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles signs up hundreds of thousands of new registered organ, eye and tissue donors. In total, registrations by the DMV make up over 95% of the entire registry.
It is not exaggerating to say that we would not be able to do the life-saving work of organ, eye and tissue donation without our ongoing partnership with the California DMV.
Next time you are in the DMV take a quick second to say thank you to the DMV employees who are doing this work each day.
Join us in Honoring Steve and All Our Heroes on New Year’s Day!
We hope you’ll turn on the television and tune in on New Year’s morning to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. And keep your eye out for the Donate Life Rose Parade Float, our honoree Steve, and the many donors and recipients who will be celebrating the “Rhythm of the Heart.”
Carlton lived in Texas, a retired teacher and devoted father. His friends and family would describe him as a remarkable person who never stopped teaching his family about the many wonders of the world. Just nine days shy of his 93rd birthday, he became an organ donor. Carlton’s wife and children made the decision to donate Carlton’s liver following his death from a brain hemorrhage.
