Become an organ donor and save lives

Becoming an organ donor is one of the most meaningful decisions you can make, offering the chance to save lives. Recent advancements in transplantation are improving organ availability and helping patients, but more organ donors are still urgently needed. As the need for kidneys and livers grows, living donation is becoming an increasingly important option for patients waiting for a transplant.

“The primary benefit of living donor transplant is to be able to go ahead to transplant sooner, so patients don’t continue to wait on the list, become more sick, have a risk of dying on the list,” said Dr. Julie Heimbach, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon.

Whether you consider being a living or a deceased donor, it’s important to ask questions and plan ahead. If you want to be an organ donor, you can sign up for your state’s donor registry, mark your choice on your driver’s license when you get or renew it, and make sure your family knows you want to be an organ donor.

— MAYO CLINIC NEWS NETWORK