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Tag Archives: Organ Donation

30 Aug

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Frequently Asked Questions

Organ Donation and Whole-Body Donation: What’s the Difference?

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.

One organ and tissue donor can save 8 lives and restore health to over 75 others.

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

Organ donation provides a life-line to those on the transplant waiting list.

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.

Register to be an organ donor today.

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.

31 Jul

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News

Californians hit it out of the park supporting Donate Life this summer

Summer just wouldn’t be the same without baseball. It’s true in California and for all of those supporting Donate Life. Major League Baseball teams all over the state are partnering to support organ, eye, and tissue donation with Donate Life Nights & Days this summer.

Sharing the message about donation is our top priority and California’s OPOs are hitting it out of the park by sharing the message of donation and registering new donors at California’s ballparks.

Folks have been signing up as donors at ballparks across the state. If you have signed up yet, take a few minutes and register as an organ, eye and tissue donor here.

Supporting Donate Life at AT&T Park

On July 3rd,  the San Francisco Giants partnered with Donor Network West for a Donate Life Day at AT&T Park. Balldude, Matt De Fina, a double-lung recipient, and Balldudette, Pati Hughes-Fudge, a liver recipient, are happy to protect the crowd from screaming foul balls.

And Austin Salinas of Fresno, CA, who has been waiting for a kidney for over two years was able to shoot “Play Ball” with Lou Seal. Check out some of the photos here.

Donate Life Night at Petco Park

Down South, at Petco Park, the Padres and Lifesharing celebrated a Donate Life Night on July 30th. David Abbott, who’s younger brother saved the lives of three children and one adult after becoming a donor three years ago, threw the honorary first pitch for the game.

David’s pitch in honor of his brother kicked off Donate Life Night at the San Diego Pardes and was even featured on the local NBC station. You can watch the pitch here!

Even More, Events to Come

Before baseball season is over we’ll have at least two more around the state, giving you a chance to play ball with the Donate Life community.

In Northern California, on August 18th join the Oakland A’s and Donor Network West for a day game. Find out more about attending here.

And on August 25th, you’ll find OneLegacy back at Dodgers Stadium. Get your tickets to join the game here.

No matter who you’re rooting for on the field we’re all rooting for saving lives through donation. We’re sending a big thank you to all of California’s Major League Baseball teams for joining us in this fight!

And if you’re looking for even more events keep an eye on our event calendar or sign up for our newsletter to find even more.

17 Jul

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News

Every Community Has Opportunity – How You Can Save A Life!

What does ECHO stand for?  Every Community Has Opportunity. July is host to the National #DonateLifeECHO campaign.

What does this mean? It is a belief that each message and story can be carried or echoed through a community when someone shares their decision of registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor. 

Every Community Has Opportunity, ECHO Donate Life, Campaign, Organ Donation

Why is it important? California is the most diverse state in the country, giving us a unique ability to increase multicultural registrations in order to save lives around the nation. Currently, only 32% of donors come from a multicultural background but 58% of those on the waiting list are as well. While not every case requires a match of ethnic backgrounds, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) “successful transplantation often is enhanced by the matching of organs between members of the same ethnic and racial group.”

Signing up as an organ and tissue donor can save not just one but up to eight lives, and change even more. Learn about some of the stories of hope from the #DonateLifeECHO campaign including Christopher, a young man who received a heart transplant that saved his life here.  Every Community Has Opportunity, Wait list pie chart ethnicity, organ donation

What can you do to help save lives? The first step to help saves lives is becoming an organ donor yourself! If you’ve already done so, thank you, if you haven’t yet taken this step click here where you can register as organ and tissue donor.

Now that you’ve signed up as a donor, join is with the #DonateLifeECHO campaign where you can multiply your impact to save lives by doing something as simple as letting your friends know you’ve decided to become a donor. Remember, Every Community Has Opportunity to save lives.

Consider sharing a post on social media and use the hashtag #DonateLifeEcho, making a 30-second video and sharing it with your network, or bring in donuts to the office with a note on why they should consider becoming a donor.

As we continue to expand the organ and tissue donor registry in California and around the nation we’ll be able to close the gap and ensure that everyone on the waitlist, no matter their backgrounds, have access to the organs they need.

Find out more about the #DonateLifeEcho at DonateLife.net.