Needed Organs

The decision to become an organ, eye, and tissue donor is one of the biggest decisions you can make in your life. By deciding to register as an organ, eye, and tissue donor, you are taking the health and wellness of someone directly into your hands. There are a multitude of ways to make a difference in someone’s life, you can give to someone you know directly, give to a stranger, or trade organs with another matching donor to help a loved one. However you decide to give, by registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor you are giving someone a second chance at life. If you would like to learn more about what you can donate and how you can donate, visit us at LifeCenter today.

Kidneys

The most needed organ by far is the kidney. As of 2018, over 80% of people on the waiting list were waiting for a matching kidney for a wide variety of reasons. With over 114,000 people currently on the waiting list, this means that almost 95,000 of those people on the waiting list need a new kidney. Kidneys were also the most donated organ in 2017, with 19,484 successful kidney transplants occurring. It doesn’t take a statistician to understand that there is a huge disparity between the need and the availability of kidneys for donors.

Kidneys are a great option for people looking to register as donors. Not only does every person have two kidneys but our bodies can easily function with just one kidney. This means that kidneys can be donated as a living donor. If someone in your family or one of your loved ones needs a kidney transplant, you can easily register to give a kidney to them. If you are not a match with the person you are trying to donate to (as is commonly the case) you can register for a kidney trade. This process allows you to donate your kidney to someone in need and your loved one will be supplied with a kidney from a match. This type of donation allows you to give your donation to the person you want to even when you are not a match.

Other Donations

The next most needed organ is the liver, with just over 12% of people waiting for a liver on the waiting list currently. Much like kidneys, livers can actually be given as a living donation. The liver is an amazing organ that can actually regrow itself from a partial transplant, meaning that your liver will heal itself and replicate itself in the body of your recipient.

After livers, the numbers drop off significantly, with just 3.5% of people waiting for a new heart, 1.2% waiting for new lungs, and 2.5% waiting for all other organs.

If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved in the organ donation, feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have. Registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor is a big decision that you don’t have to make on your own. Let us help you find out how to best help the people in your life who desperately need your donation.