• As of August 18, 2009, 111, 290 people in the United States are waiting for life-saving organs for transplant - 1,554 are from Wisconsin. Nearly 10% of those on the waiting list are 15 years old or younger, 50% are under age 49.
• Sometime in their lives, one in 20 Wisconsin residents will need a tissue transplant from donated bone, skin, heart valves, veins, ligaments and tendons. People with diabetes, high blood pressure, cystic fibrosis and other common illnesses are on the waiting list.
• More than 28,000 transplants were performed in the US last year using the gifts for life from more than 14,000 donors, both living and deceased. Vital organs may be procured and transported hundreds of miles to an awaiting recipient center for transplantation. This is due, in part, to advances in medical technology and improved techniques.
• About 46,000 cornea transplants are performed annually.
• A single donor can save or enhance the lives of more than 50 people with life saving gifts of lungs, kidneys, heart, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, bone, bone marrow, cartilage and heart valves. Acceptable organ donors can range in age from newborn to senior citizens in their 90's. Organ donors are people who have died suddenly, possibly through accidents, and have been declared "brain dead". In this condition, brain function has permanently ceased, but the vital organs are still being perfused and oxygenated with the use of artificial support.
• Donation will not interfere with funeral arrangements and there are no costs to donor families associated with organ and tissue recovery.
• All major religions in the United States support donation or consider the decision up to the individual.
Top 10 Myths & Facts
Myth #1 Wealthy people and celebrities are moved to the top of the list faster than "regular" people.
Fact: The organ allocation an distribution system is blind to wealth or social status. The length of time it takes to receive a transplant is governed by many factors, including blood type, length of time on the waiting list, severity of illness and other medical criteria. Factors such as race, gender, age, income, or celebrity status are never considered when determining who recieves an organ.
Myth #2 Donation will mutilate my body.
Fact: Donated organs are removed surgically, in a routine operation similar to gallbladder or appendix removal. Donation doesn't disfigure the body or change the way it looks in a casket.
Myth #3 My family will be charged for donating my organs.
Fact: Donation costs nothing to the donor's family or estate. Donation is a gift.
Myth #4 If I am in an accident and the hospital knows that I want to be a donor, the doctors will try not to save my life.
Fact: Organs and tissue recovery takes place only after all efforts to save your life have been exhaustedand death has been legally declared. The medical team treating you is completely separate from the transplant team. The organ procurement organization (OPO) is not notified until all lifesaving efforts have failed and death has been determined. The OPO does not notify the transplant team until your family has consented to donation.
Myth #5 I am not the right age for donation.
Fact: Organs may be donated from newborns on up, with known donors as old as 90. At the time of your death, the appropriate medical
professionals will determine whether your organs are useable.
Myth #6 My religion does not support organ donation.
Fact: All the well known religions: Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism fully support and approve of organ and tissue donation and consider it an act of charity. Check with your faith leader if you are unsure of your religion's position on organ donation.
Myth #7 Only heart, liver, and kidneys can be transplanted.
Fact: Needed organs include the heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver, and intestines. Tissue that can be donated include eyes, skin, bone, heart valves, and tendons.
Myth #8 I have a history of medical illness. You would not want my organs or tissues.
Fact: At the time of death, the appropriate medical professionals will review your medical and social histories to determine whether or not you can be a donor. With recent advances in transplantation, more people than ever before, even those with pre-existing medical conditions or previous cancers can be considered for donation. It's best to sign a donor card and tell your family your wishes.
Myth #9 I don't need to tell my family that I want to be a donor because I have it written in my will.
Fact: By the time your will is read, it will be too late to recover your organs. Telling your family now that you want to be an organ and tissue donor is the best way to ensure that your wishes are carried out.
Myth #10 I've heard about a business traveler who is heavily drugged, then awakes to find he or she has had one kidney (or sometimes both) removed for a black market transplant.
Fact: This tale has been widely circulated over the internet. There is absolutely no evidence of such activity ever occurring in the U.S. or any other industrialized country. While the tale may sound credible, it has no basis in the reality of organ transplantation. Many people who hear the myth probably dismiss it, but it is possible that some believe it and decide against organ donation out of needless fear.