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Who can be a donor?
Anyone, regardless of age, race, or gender can become an
organ donor. Organs and tissue that can’t be used for
transplantation, due to advanced age or disease, can often
be used to help find cures for serious illnesses.
How do I become a donor?
- Tell your family. Hospitals will not remove any organs
or tissue without permission from the donor’s family.
- Contact the Missouri Organ Donor Registry at 888.497.4564,
or get the online application form at http://www.health.state.mo.us/OrganDonor/Reg.pdf
How are recipients selected?
Law under the National Transplant Act strictly mandates the
selection process. A carefully monitored system allows full
and equal access to donated organs and tissues for all potential
recipients.
Criteria for deciding which person on the waiting list will
receive organs or tissues from a particular donor depends
on factors such as the tissue and blood type, body size and
the degree of illness of the potential recipient.
Is there any cost or payment for organ/tissue donation?
The donor’s family estate is never changed for the
removal of any organs, nor do they receive any compensation.
Does organ/tissue donation affect
funeral practices?
No. Families may make final funeral arrangements, including
an open casket funeral, for burial or cremation.
Is there a conflict between using any organs/tissues and saving
my life?
No. Donation is not considered until all efforts to save
a person have not failed. The transplant team has no involvement
in the patient’s care prior to death and is notified
only after death has occurred.
What organs/tissues can be donated?
Organs that can be donated are the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas
and kidneys.
Among the tissues can be donated are corneas to restore sight,
bone to prevent amputation, heart valves for children born
with heart problems or adults with heart disease, tendons
to replace damaged tissues in injured joints, saphenous veins
for bypass surgeries and skin as a temporary covering to reduce
pain and infection in burn victims. Up to 50 people can benefit
from a single donor.
How is donation viewed by my religion?
All major western religions support donation as a final,
charitable act of giving to others.
What if I change my mind?
You may ask to remove your name from the Donor Registry at
any time by calling 888.497.4564. If you have signed the donor
card on your license/ID card, simply write VOID across it.
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The Donor Registry is a computerized database that documents
your wishes regarding donation. The Registry provides valuable
information to families who are unaware of a loved one’s
intentions and are asked at the hospital for consent donate.
All information is confidential. Only organ banks and coroners
have access.
How do I join registry?
When you visit the Driver’s Services facility, you
will be asked if you intend to sign the organ/tissue donor
portion on the back of the driver’s license and would
like to join the registry. Your response is entered on your
record. You can register by phone by calling the Organ Donor
Registry at 888.497.4564, or via the Internet by accessing
their online application form.
Does the registry replace the donor
card on the back of my driver’s license or ID card?
No. The Registry is meant as a supplement, not a replacement,
to the uniform organ donor card on the back of the driver’s
license. But either action still depends on consent from the
next-of-kin before any organs can be removed. So please talk
to your family.
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 Today,
all across Missouri, thousands of people are able to live
fuller and more productive lives because of the lifesaving
decisions made by families like yours. Although it is hard
to believe at the time, it is possible for something positive
to come from death...a new life for someone else.
Many donor families have found comfort in knowing that they
and their loved one have helped life go on for someone else.
Families of prospective donors must give their permission
before donation of a loved one’s organs and tissues
can occur. It is much easier for your family to make the decision
to donate if they know your wishes ahead of time.
Will organ/tissue donation affect the level of medical care
my loved one receives?
No. Donation is never considered until all efforts to save
your loved one have failed.
How does the family communicate an individual’s wish
to donate organs/tissues?
Federal law states that hospitals must offer you the option
of donating your loved one’s organs. But don’t
wait to be asked. Approach the hospital staff or coroner’s
staff and make your loved one’s wishes known.
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