Do you know how many lives does organ donation saves? If you don’t, then don’t worry. Here’s the thing: in the United States, 106,744 men, women, and children need a transplant.

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And worst of all, a total number of seventeen people die every day because of not being able to get a transplant. On top of all that, the growing transplant waiting list has a person added to it every minute.

In America, a significant number of the population supports organ donation organizations unconditionally. However, only some of the Americans are registered as organ donors. Continue reading this article, as we will be thoroughly educating you on this vital topic. And, even if you are aware of this, there’s no harm in learning some additional information. So, keep on reading!

Organ Donations: An Overview

Let us now explain to you what organ donations and transplants are? Essentially organ donation is a process that takes place with the legal consent of the donor. The donors decide that they would like their organs used for a good cause once they pass away. Hence, organ donation is made so another person’s life can be saved or made better. And this happens because the donated organ is given to another person who needs it. So how is it ‘given’ to another person?

This is made possible with the help of transplantation (a medical treatment where someone else’s tissue or organ is implanted in another body for a medical purpose). These donations might comprise healthy organs that qualify to be used as transplants and healthy tissues.

Remember how we mentioned that the donor gives consent for the organs to be donated after their death. However, some organ donations can occur during the donor’s lifetime, such as donating a kidney, part of the liver, part of the pancreas, part of the lungs, and part of the intestines. To sum it up, we can confidently say that organ transplantation is one of the most fabulous additions to modern medicine.

Here are the organs and tissues that you can donate:

The liver
The kidney
The pancreas
The heart
The lung
The intestine
The corneas
The middle ear
The skin
The bone
The bone marrow
The heart valves
The connective tissue

Save Many Lives Through Organ Donation: The Requirements

What requirements shall I meet to become an organ donor? People can quickly meet the requirements to become organ donors. Here are the following considerations:

The donor should be in a physically sound and mentally healthy condition.
To qualify as an organ donor, they have to be at least 18 years old.
Finally, they should make the willing decision to donate by themselves and not under any pressure.
Finally, they should be well informed and understand the possible risks and outcomes for both the recipient and themselves.

You may want to read about who is eligible for organ donation.

The Organ Donation Process To Save Lives

For you to become an organ donor, you should take the following steps:

Step #1. Visiting the donor registry

Initially, visit your provincial donor registry and register yourself as a potential donor.

Step #2. Filling out the required form

You may be given a form fill-out that will ask you details about yourself and any necessary information related to this procedure. This form may be online, depending on your local donor registry system.

Step #3. Waiting game

After these two steps, the procedure becomes highly dependant on your provincial donor system. Well, don’t worry, they will guide you through everything. You are sometimes also asked if you are interested in becoming an organ donor when applying for your driver’s license. This is done because To occur, they will state your designation on your driver’s license if you become a donor. Here’s an extra tip; do tell your family about your decision. Because in some hospitals, the donor’s organs. You are removed and transplanted with the kin’s consent. Know what are the benefits of organ donation.

How Many Lives Organ Donation Saves?

In this paragraph, the question; how many lives does organ donation save, is being answered. Well, to break it to you, the ratio between a deceased organ donor and the lives they can respectively save is 1:8. Yes, you read that right. Unbelievable, right? This is how it happens:

Two people are freed from dialysis when kidneys are donated.
The liver is split into two parts and is shared between two people. Thus, two lives are saved!
Similarly, the lungs are shared between two people as well.
The pancreas and heart are also donated.

Now when you do the math, you’ll see when all these donations are added up. They save eight lives!

Here’s a prevalent misconception about the organ donation procedure:

People think that ethnicity or race needs to be shared between the donor and recipient to make organ donations. Well, that is a big misconception right there! Organs are not matched based on racial or ethnic background. Instead, recipients and donors of entirely different races and ethnic backgrounds commonly match with each other. It’s best to read why organ donation is mandatory.

It’s A Wrap!

We hope that all your questions, doubts, and misconceptions are cleared about this topic, and we hope that we managed to answer your question; how many lives does organ donation save?

How Many Lives Does Organ Donation Save? Awesome Facts You Should Know!