Organ Donation

More than 118,000 men, women and children across the country are waiting for an organ transplant that can save their lives.

Become An Organ Donor and Make a Difference

The facts about organ donation are astonishing, and the cause is personal for many members of the Masonic Blood+Organ Donor Program.

If you have not previously registered as an organ donor on your Pennsylvania Driver’s License, please consider doing so today. While this program does NOT procure organs for members in need, we strive to provide assistance and resources to support them throughout the process.

One organ and tissue donor can save up to eight lives and help more than 75 people, according to Donate Life Pennsylvania.

Organ Donation Stories

FAQs

For additional information and resources on organ donation, visit our Blog.

Who can become a donor?

Almost anyone can be eligible to donate organs and possibly tissues. An age limit is not specified for organ donation, though the age limit for tissues is 60. The final decision for using organs or tissues rests with the transplant candidate’s physicians at the time of death.

Organs which can be donated include heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver, intestines and, at times, stomach. Tissues that can be donated include corneas to restore sight, skin to heal burns, and bone and ligaments to repair bone and joints damaged by cancer or trauma. Heart valves and tendons also may be donated.

No. Families who donate are not charged for the donation, nor is the donor’s estate.

No. Donation typically does not delay funeral arrangements, nor does it prevent an open casket viewing. Organs and tissues are recovered in an operating room with a surgical procedure that does not disfigure the body.

Leaders of major religions support donation or have made it clear the decision to donate is a personal one that should be discussed with family members.

Once a family has consented to donation, the donor’s height, weight and blood type are entered into a computer tied into the national database operated by the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN). After the information is entered, the OPTN computer generates a list of individuals awaiting transplants who best match the donor’s blood and body size. Medical urgency and the amount of time on a waiting list also play an integral role in determining who receives an organ.

A patient’s race, gender, age, celebrity status or income are not considered when deciding who receives an organ. Also, most costs associated with transplantation are covered by private insurance or Medicare.

Organ Donation in Pennsylvania

CORE Center for Organ Recovery & Education
Donate Life Pennsylvania
Gift of Life Donor Program
Pennsylvania Organ Donor Map

Click on the map above to enlarge