Organ and tissue transplantation is proven to extend and enhance lives. Medical advances continue to make transplantation safer and more effective. As of the beginning of 2000, the survival rates for transplants are about 95% for kidney recipients, 85% for liver and heart recipients and 75% for lung recipients (Wisconsin donor network). Unfortunately, organ and tissue donation has not increased at the same pace. Although approximately fifty-five people each day receive life enhancing organ transplants, another ten people die each day on the national waiting list.

“ People don’t die because of organ donation. Organ donation happens because people die, says Tim Olsen from the Wisconsin donor network.” Organ donation does not happen until after brain death is pronounced. An estimated 15,0

Heart transplants are the third most common transplants in the United States there are over 1,500 cases per year (UNOS). A healthy heart is obtained from a donor who has suffered brain death but remains on life support. The healthy heart is transported in a special solution that preserves the organ. Lung transplant surgery is to replace one or both lungs with healthy lungs from a human donor. The tissue matches must be made to assure the patients’ best chance of fighting off rejection of transplanted tissue.

There are no age limitations on who can donate. The deciding factor on whether a person can donate is the person’s physical condition, not the person’s age. Newborns as well as senior citizens have been organ donors. Those under the age of 18 years of age must have parent or guardian’s consent.

Bone marrow is a soft fatty tissue found inside bones. It produces blood cells. When the patient develops disease of blood cells or when cancer treatment damages or destroys the bone marrow, a transplant with healthy bone marrow can save the patient’s life. It’s a surgical procedure to transplant healthy bone marrow to a patient with deficient bone marrow function.

Share your decision to be an organ and tissue donor with your family is as important as making the decision itself. Without expressing your wishes to the family, the following persons, in the order stated, may make a donation of all or part of your body or organs. Share your decision with family will help carry out the decision later. This will help with confusion or uncertainty of your wishes. This helps carry out your wish to save lives and can provide your family with great comfort in their time of grief, especially when the donor has had an unexpected death.

(American Association of tissue Banks). There are more then 44,000 corneal transplants were performed in the United States last year (Eye Bank Association). Corneas are the most common transplant operation in United States (UNOS). The number of Americans on waiting lists for corneas average 5,000 at any given time (UNOS). Corneal transplantation results in improved vision in nearly 95% of those who undergo the procedure. Corneas are acceptable for donation regardless of abnormal vision (Eye Bank Association of America).

Pancreas transplants are not very common I in the U.S. about 150 cases per year and may be done at the same time as a kidney transplant in diabetic patients. The operation is technically more difficult then a kidney or heart transplant. It’s surgically to replace a diseased pancreas with a healthy pancreas from a donor.

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