Everyone should consider themselves a potential organ, eye and tissue donor. Medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissues can be donated.

Most importantly, designate your intent to be an organ,  eye and tissue donor in your state donor registry (Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana residents). We also ask you share your donation decision with your family members and loved ones.

Yes, State law recognizes driver’s licenses as legal authorization for organ, tissue and eye donation. Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana law allow an individual to designate his or her intent to be an organ, tissue or eye donor via a donor registry. Donor registries provide that a valid declaration of a gift of organs, tissues or eyes made prior to an individual’s death prevails over any contrary desires of the donor’s family.

Yes. A legally responsible adult must witness your signature on a driver’s license or state ID card.

• Organs: heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver, and small intestines.
• Tissues: cornea, skin, bone, heart valves, ligaments, tendons, veins, arteries, fascia.

No! The National Organ Transplant Act makes it illegal to sell human organs and tissues (Public Law 98-507).

Patients are matched to organs based on a number of factors including blood and tissue typing, medical urgency, time on the waiting list and geographic location. Factors such as race, gender, age, income or celebrity status are never considered when determining who receives an organ.

We encourage people who wish to be a donor to designate their decision. Don’t be deterred by past medical history or age because medical suitability for donation will be determined at the time of death. Anyone can register as a donor regardless of age or illness.

No! Organ donation does not discriminate against sexual orientation.  Anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, can be an organ donor, both living and deceased.

No!  Matching organs to recipients is based strictly on medical criteria and has nothing to do with notoriety or wealth.  The process for matching a recipient with a donor is dependent upon how sick an individual is and who the best match for the organ is.  Occasionally, it may seem that rich or famous individuals receive transplants more often, but that simply is because as a society we tend to pay attention when these people receive transplants and not when the people from the general public receive transplants.

Yes!  LifeCenter does not facilitate living donation, but you can learn more about it here.

Talking to your family about your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor and educating them about the facts of donation and transplantation are important steps to ensure that your family is comfortable with your decision.

Death occurs in two ways: 1) from cessation of circulatory (heart-lung) function; or 2) from the cessation of brain function (brain death).  Brain death occurs when a person has an irreversible, catastrophic brain injury (not a coma), which causes all brain activity to permanently stop.  In such cases, the heart and lungs can continue to function if artificial support machines are used.  However, these functions will also cease when the machines are discontinued.