Let's
End
The
Myths

All major religions support organ, eye and tissue donation and consider donation the greatest gift one can give. Transplantation is consistent with the life preserving traditions of these faiths. The donation of life is an act of human kindness in keeping with religious teachings.

No. The organ allocation and distribution system is blind to wealth or social status. A national computerized matching system is used to place available organs with potential recipients. This current system is administered by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), located in Richmond, Virginia.

National policies govern the sharing of organs in the U.S. to ensure all patients fair and equal access to transplantation. The length of time it takes to receive a transplant is influenced by a variety of factors including location, severity of illness, physical characteristics (blood type, weight, genetic typing, and size) and length of time on the waiting list. Factors such as income or celebrity status are never considered when determining who receives an organ.

Organ donation is only accepted following the declaration of death by a doctor who is not involved in transplantation. In order to donate organs, a patient must be declared brain dead, or in cases where a family requests withdrawal of ventilator support, declared dead by cardiac criteria. Brain death is the complete and irreversible loss of all brain function, including the brain stem and therefore, the patient has no chance of recovery.

To be a legal determination, Virginia Code requires that a licensed medical professional makes this declaration based on clinical exams and nationally accepted brain death testing methods.

The first and foremost job of 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 and death has been declared that organ, tissue and eye donation would even be considered

No. By law, the doctors who work to save your life are not the same professionals who are involved in transplantation and organ donation. 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, eye and tissue donor. The doctors treating you are not involved with transplant programs or possible recipients. In addition, doctors and hospital staff do not have access to the Virginia Donor Registry. Only donor program personnel can access the Virginia Donor Registry – not the medical professionals taking care of you.

No. Anyone can be considered for donation. Many people erroneously believe they cannot donate due to a past medical history or age. At the time of death, donation program professionals will review your medical and behavioral history to determine if you are a candidate for donation. There is such a critical need for organs currently in the U.S., the criteria for donation are changing constantly. In most cases, anyone can be a donor. To date, the oldest donor was 101 years old.