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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
About Organ and Tissue Donation

 

faqs_Q.jpg How do I become a donor?
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You can become a donor in three easy ways:

  1. Request that a heart be placed on your driver's license at the DMV.
  2. Register on the online donor registry at www.donatelifenc.org.
  3. Complete a paper enrollment form and mail it to Donate Life North Carolina.  To obtain a form, please call 1-800-200-2672.

If you register via the DMV, a red heart will be placed on your driver's license or ID card. This symbol means that you are giving legal consent for the donation of your organs and corneas/eyes after you die. It does not include tissue donation, nor does it include whole body donation.

If you register online at www.donatelifenc.org, you can be more specific about your donation wished. For example, you can choose which organs or tissues you want to donate - and exclude those you do not want to donate. You can also register your decision about the disposition of your organs/tissues/eyes in case they cannot be used for transplant.

If you have a heart on your driver's license you can also register as a donor online, your online record supercedes your DMV record because it is the more specific donation document.

Through the North Carolina Heart Prevails Law (Session Law 2007-538), if you have registered your decision to be a donor your wishes cannot be overturned by others. It relieves the family of making this decision on your behalf, so please be sure to tell them when you join the registry.

faqs_Q.jpg What organs and tissues can be donated and how are they used?

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Organs that can be donated include the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and small intestines. Organs are used to save lives by replacing diseased organs with healthy ones. Tissues that can be donated include skin, bone, corneas, heart valves, and veins. Skin grafts are used for burn victims, dental surgeries and reconstructive surgeries; bone, tendons and ligaments can be used in reconstructive surgeries; corneas are transplanted to give sight; heart valves are used in valve replacement surgery, common in children, and leg veins can be used in heart bypass surgery.

faqs_Q.jpg What if I change my mind - how can I change my donor record?
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If your donor registration (red heart) is on your NC driver's license, you can create an online donor record that will supersede your DMV donor record. Go to https://www.donatelifenc.org/login/dmv.php and log in by entering your driver's license number and date of birth. After you log in, scroll to the very bottom of the page (under the "Terms" section). You will see a box that you can check that says "Remove me from the donor registry". Click that box to remove your name from the online donor registry. Because this online donor record is more detailed, it supersedes your DMV donor record.

However, because we have read-only access to DMV data, it will not change the donor designation on your driver's license. The next time you renew your driver's license, please tell the examiner that you would like the donor designation removed from your license, so your online donor record and your DMV donor record will match. In the
meantime, your online donor record is the one that will be followed since it is the most detailed record.

If you registered via our website (www.donatelifenc.org) just click on the right hand box that says "Register Today" and then click on "Update My Profile". Enter your Registration ID, date of birth and passcode. You should have gotten the Registration ID when you first registered, but if you don't have it, there is a button on the page that you can click on to have it sent to you via e-mail. Once you enter those 3 fields correctly, you should be able to see your donor record and make any changes you'd like. If you wish to remove your donor designation, click on the green "Edit Donor" box. The top field (donor status) has a drop down menu where you can choose "removed".
This will remove your donor record from the online registry.

In addition, one of the most important things you can do is make sure your family knows your wishes regarding donation. Whether you wish to be a donor - or not - is is important to share your decision with your family.

faqs_Q.jpg Is there any cost to my family if I am an organ/tissue donor?
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No. All costs associated with donation are paid by the organ procurement organization. Your family is only responsible for hospital charges before the death declaration and for funeral expenses.

faqs_Q.jpg Will becoming a registered donor affect the quality of medical care I receive?
faqs_A.gif Absolutely not. Medical care is always based on what is necessary to save a patient’s life. Patients can be considered for donation only after they are declared dead.
faqs_Q.jpg Is there any age limit for donation?
faqs_A.gif No. Potential donors are evaluated on an individual basis, regardless of age.
faqs_Q.jpg Is it true that only rich people get transplants?
faqs_A.gif No. Factors such as race, gender, age, income, or celebrity status are never considered when determining who receives an organ. The organ allocation and distribution system is based on many factors including blood type, length of time on waiting list, geographical location, severity of illness and other medical criteria. There is NO way to buy a place on the waiting list.
faqs_Q.jpg Are there any racial barriers to donation and matching organs?
faqs_A.gif No. Race is not a barrier, nor is it a criterion for organ placement. A computer database matches organ donors with potential recipients according to medical suitability. However, patients waiting for kidney transplants are more likely to have an antigen match with a donor of the same race.
faqs_Q.jpg If I am in good health can I sell my organs for money?
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No! It is against the law to buy or sell organs in the United States.

faqs_Q.jpg Can I be a donor if I have or have had cancer?
faqs_A.gif It depends on the type of cancer. People who have or have had some forms of cancer can be eye donors. People with primary brain tumors can often be organ donors. Most people can be an organ and tissue donor if they have been cancer-free for at least five years. Patients with current cancer or history of cancer are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. 

faqs_Q.jpg Can my organs be used if I die at home?
faqs_A.gif Unfortunately, no. However, tissue and eye donation can occur when someone dies at home. Organs must have a continuous blood and oxygen supply to be suitable for transplantation. Only individuals who die in the hospital have the potential to be organ donors. Most patients who have the opportunity for organ donation have been determined brain dead, usually in a hospital intensive care unit. In certain circumstances, patients who have a have a cardiac death in the hospital can be donors, but these are very limited.
faqs_Q.jpg What does “brain death” mean?
faqs_A.gif Brain death means a patient has been declared dead by neurologic criteria. Brain death is the complete and total cessation of all brain function including the brain stem. This means the brain is no longer functioning. There is no blood flow through the brain. The patient is no longer alive even though the bodily functions are being maintained by artificial means such as a respirator. These patients cannot respond to any outside stimuli. If a patient is determined to be brain dead, they are dead. There is no legal differentiation between brain death and cardiac death.  A death certificate will be completed for patients who are declared dead by neurologic criteria (brain death) or cardio-respiratory criteria (cardiac death). Brain death is not the same as being in a coma, since coma patients still have brain function and respond to some stimuli.
faqs_Q.jpg If I am a donor, will there be a delay in funeral services?
faqs_A.gif In most cases, no. Usually, the procedure can be completed and the body released to the funeral home the next day.
faqs_Q.jpg Can I still have an open casket funeral?
faqs_A.gif Yes. Organ and tissue recoveries are conducted in the operating room under the direction of qualified surgical personnel. An incision is made, closed, and dressed; therefore, the body’s appearance is not changed by the donation process. Also, the identity of the donor family is kept confidential so no one will know that donation took place.
faqs_Q.jpg Can I still be an organ donor and also donate my body to science?
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If you are an organ or tissue donor, a medical school will not accept your remains for teaching purposes. However, if you are an eye donor, you may donate your body to a medical school. Some research institutions will accept your body for research after organ and tissue donation.

If you wish to make a gift of your whole body to a body donation program in North Carolina, you should make advance arrangements with a specific medical center school program. A list of programs and school-specific procedures and forms can be found on the Commission on Anatomy's website www.commissiononanatomy.ncdhhs.gov/donate.htm.

faqs_Q.jpg How can I donate bone marrow?
faqs_A.gif While Carolina Donor Services is not directly involved with bone marrow donation, we encourage you to visit the National Marrow Donor Program website at www.marrow.org to learn more about this life-saving process, including answers to frequently asked questions, myths, how to register and more. If you can't find what you are seeking online, you may want to contact one of the NC marrow donor offices including: Charlotte- (704) 921-3570 and Raleigh -(919) 414-8312.
faqs_Q.jpg How many people are waiting for organs in our country?
faqs_A.gif Right now, more than 100,000 Americans are waiting for life-saving organ transplants. For the most current waiting list number, visit www.unos.org.
faqs_Q.jpg How many people are waiting for transplants in NC?
faqs_A.gif Around 3,000 North Carolinians need life-saving organ transplants.
faqs_Q.jpg How many people can be helped by tissue donation?
faqs_A.gif More than 50 people can be helped through one tissue donor.
faqs_Q.jpg How many lives can be saved by one organ donor?
faqs_A.gif One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people.
faqs_Q.jpg When was the first human heart transplant?
faqs_A.gif In 1967, a South African heart surgeon named Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant.
faqs_Q.jpg When was the first successful living donor transplant done?
faqs_A.gif In 1954, in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Joseph Murray transplanted a kidney from a healthy 23-year-old identical twin to his brother, who had kidney failure.

 

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