Question: What can be donated?

Answer: Organs including heart, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas and small intestine. And, tissues including skin, bones, veins, heart valves, tendons and ligaments.

Question: Can I be too old to donate?

Answer: A critical need for organs currently exists in the United States; the criteria for donation are changing constantly. Today, anyone can be considered for organ and/or tissue donation, regardless of age or illness. No one should exclude him/herself from the possibility of donating on the basis of age or medical history.

Question: If I can’t see well, can I still donate my eyes?

Answer: Almost anyone can be an eye donor. Cataracts, poor eyesight or age would not prohibit you from being a donor.

Question: Can I donate anything if I have cancer?

Answer: Depending on the type of cancer and whether you are currently in remission you may be able to donate organs. If the cancer is not blood-borne or has not progressed to the eye, corneal donation is an option.

Question: Will someone look different following the donation?

Answer: Great care is taken to preserve the appearance of the donor. Because recovery of organs and tissues is a surgical procedure, incisions are made for the specific recovery. This does not prohibit an open-casket funeral.

Question: Is there a cost to the family for donation?

Answer: There is no cost to the donor’s estate or insurance company for anything related to donation.

Question: Do the recipients and donor families meet?

Answer: It is important for both parties that confidentiality is maintained. Initial correspondence is coordinated through the transplant center and Donor Network of Arizona, which will forward the letters to the donor families or recipients. In the event that both parties wish to meet each other, Donor Network of Arizona will facilitate this.

Question: What about funeral arrangements?

Answer: Donation does not affect customary funeral arrangements.

Question: Can organs and tissues be sold?

Answer: No, it is illegal to buy or sell organs. Severe penalties are imposed for violators.

Question: Can organs be given to different racial and ethnic groups?

Answer: In most cases, yes. Organ size is critical to match donor and recipient hearts, livers and lungs. Genetic makeup between kidney and pancreas donors and recipients is more critical; due to genetic makeup. For this reason, Hispanics may “match” better with a kidney donated from another Hispanic than from any other race.

Question: How are organs and tissues matched?

Answer: After the consent has been obtained for donation, the DNA coordinator accesses a national computer system to find the best match for the donated organs. Strict federal guidelines exist for the equitable distribution of organs. The federal government set up the national Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) in 1986 for the equitable distribution of organs/tissues. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) received the federal contract to manage the OPTN. There are 59 organ procurement organizations (OPOs) nationwide working with UNOS. All OPOs are connected by a sophisticated computer system. Each of the OPOs - like DNA - serve specific geographic areas to avoid overlapping of services. DNA’s service area is the entire state of Arizona. The DNA coordinator receives a list of patients who are waiting for the donated organs from UNOS. The order of patients on the list is based on a point allocation system taking into account these factors: medical urgency, length of time on the waiting list, tissue match and geography (to account for travel and surgery time in relation to the organ’s viability). Hearts, livers and lungs are matched by blood type and body size. In matching kidneys and pancreas, tissue-typing tests also are performed to assure the best possible genetic match between a donor and a recipient. The DNA coordinator calls the transplant center of the patient at the top of the list. It is up to the transplant surgeon to accept the organ. If the surgeon accepts the organ, the DNA coordinator arranges the arrival and departure times of the organ recovery teams from the transplant centers receiving the organs. The surgical team consists of surgeons or technicians and an operating room clinician or organ/tissue preservationist. If the surgeon does not accept the organ, the DNA coordinator goes to the next patient listed.

Eyes and tissues are removed after organs have been recovered. Eyes are placed first locally in Arizona, then nationally and, finally, internationally. Tissues are recovered by DNA and then provided to companies who process the tissue to benefit those in need of tissue transplant. In most cases, tissue recovered in Arizona is offered to Arizona patients first.