andrewsgifts

How will my family be informed of my decision?
You will have the option of sending an e-mail notification to your family members after you have completed the Registry sign-up. The organ recovery specialist will also notify your family at the time of your death. We strongly encourage you to talk to your family about your decision so they are aware of your wishes. Your family will be supported by our staff throughout this entire process.

What if organ donation is against my religion? All major religions support organ and tissue donation and consider donation the greatest gift one can give. The donation of life is an act of human kindness in keeping with religious teachings. Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faiths support donation as an act of human benevolence. They believe that this is a gift of life to another person. The religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam believe that organ donation is a matter of individual conscience. If you have questions in this regard, we encourage you to consult with your religious leader.

If I sign a donor card, how can I be sure that I am really dead when organs and tissues are recovered? Will they do everything they can to save ME before recovering organs to save someone else? If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, you will receive the same level of care regardless of whether or not you have indicated your wish to be an organ and tissue donor. The doctors treating you are not involved with transplant programs or possible recipients. This fact is both law and ethical medical practice. In brain death cases, a neurologist performs numerous tests to ensure the patient's brain has died and, therefore, has NO CHANCE of recovery. The first and foremost job of the healthcare professionals at any hospital is to do everything they can to try and save your life. It is only after all of these efforts have been exhausted that organ and tissue donation would even be considered.

Do famous or wealthy people get transplants quicker? NO! Organ recipients are chosen based upon several criteria including geographical location, length of time on the waiting list, medical urgency, and tissue matching. An individual's wealth and social status are never considered when determining who receives a lifesaving organ transplant. A national computerized matching system is used to place available organs with potential recipients. National policies govern the sharing of organs in the United States to ensure all patients fair and equal access to transplantation. "Who gets the organ" is not a problem of "equitability", it is an issue of "availability". If everyone donated, there would be enough organs for all transplant recipients - EVERYONE would receive life and that is the most equitable of all.

Misconceptions- Setting The Record Straight

If I am a donor, can I still have an open casket viewing at my funeral? In most cases, organ, tissue and eye donation does not interfere with an open-casket viewing. Before moving forward with a procedure we provide information to families and answer their questions to ensure we fully understand their wishes. The recovery of organs, tissues and eyes is performed by qualified surgeons and recovery staff in a sterile environment. As in any other surgical procedure, the body is treated with the utmost respect and care.