Other Donation Opportunities

The American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) web site states that “A blood donation truly is a “gift of life” that a healthy individual can give to others in their community who are sick or injured. In one hour’s time, a person can donate one unit of blood that can be separated into four individual components that could help save multiple lives.” To find out more about where to donate blood locally, use AABB’s locator.

The National Bone Marrow Donor Program web site says that “ Every patient deserves the best chance for treatment. At the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), we’re working to provide hope and deliver a cure to all patients in need of a life-saving transplant by: recruiting and supporting donors, supporting patients, educating doctors and advancing science.”

Living donation is when a living person donates an organ, or part of an organ, to a person in need of a transplant. Virginia’s transplant centers perform kidney and liver living donor transplants. Living kidney donation is possible because we can live a healthy life with one functioning kidney. Living liver donation is possible because the liver consists of two lobes, one of which can be donated to someone in need. Both lobes will regenerate to normal size and function generally within 6 weeks. You can learn more about living donation.

You can give many gifts in your lifetime, but there is one that will make a significant and lasting contribution, the gift of donating your body to medical science. This can be accomplished through the Virginia Department of Health’s State Anatomical Program. You cannot participate in this program after having donated organs and tissues.