Get the Facts About Donation
More than 2,400 Virginians are waiting for a life-saving transplant right now. 40% of Virginia adults have not yet registered.
Learn more about the process, how to register and other frequently asked questions here.
Table of Contents
About Donation
- What is organ, eye and tissue donation?
- How many people need donated organs and tissue?
- What organs and tissues may be donated?
- Will I really make a difference?
- How can one person save 8 people?
- What is a “living donation?”
- Does my family have to pay for the donation?
- What about funeral arrangements?
- Will my family still have the final decision?
- How can my organs and tissues be used for research?
- How can I list what organs and tissues I have decided to donate?
- If I donate my organs, will the recipients know who my family is?
Facts About Donation
- Am I too old or unhealthy to donate?
- Will my decision to be a donor affect my medical care if I am injured or sick and admitted to the hospital?
- If I register to be a donor, how can I be sure that I’ll really be dead when organs and tissues are recovered?
- Do famous or wealthy people get transplants quicker?
- Is donation against my religion?
- Is there a black market for organ donation? Can I get paid for my organs?
- Are TV and movie stories about donation true?
- If there is not an organ match when I die, can the surgeon take my organs and store them until they find a match?
- If I donate my entire body to science, can I still be an organ, eye and tissue donor?
- What is the difference between living and deceased donations?
Other Donation Opportunities
The Donation Process
Removing Yourself From the Registry
Signing Up at the Virginia DMV
- How do I make changes to my registration if I signed up at the DMV?
- Can I specify at the DMV which organs and tissues I have decided to donate?
- What if I have already said “yes” to donation at the DMV, do I need to register again online?
- Must I register to be a donor again when it is time to renew my driver’s license or ID?
- If I sign up as an organ, tissue and eye donor at DonateLifeVirginia.org, will the DMV receive the donor information?
- I signed up to be a donor at the DMV, but I did not get a heart on my license/ID — what should I do?
- If something should happen to me while I am traveling, what role does my donor designation on my driver’s license/ID play?
Signing Up Online
- Is my information private and secure online?
- How do I make changes to my registration if I sign up online?
- I made a mistake on my registration, and I am unable to change it when I use “Update your registration.”
- I don’t want to sign up by using a computer. Is there any other way to register?
- I have an advance directive authorizing donation of my organs. Should I also register with the Donate Life Virginia Registry, or will the advance directive be enough?
- How do you ensure that someone does not sign up another person without his or her knowledge or consent?
- If I am between the ages of 13 and 18 years old, can I sign up at DonateLifeVirginia.org?
