1. Organ and Tissue Donation: The Gift of Life
Thank you for sharing information about donation and transplantation with your students. Our goal is to provide information about donation so that students can make an informed decision about donation when they apply for or renew their license.
This presentation is designed to be used in the following manner:
Slides 2 through 18 include general information about organ and tissue donation. Please note that there are suggested talking points included on some slides under the “Notes Pages” view. To see the talking points, select “view” from the navigation bar at the top and select “Notes Page.”
Slides 19 and 20 are quizzes that review the information outlined in this presentation. Please feel free to go over these with your class or print them out and have the students complete them as group work or individually. Answers are included in the Notes Pages.
Thank you again for educating students about this life-saving issue. If you have any questions, please call LifeSource at DONATE. 1

2. Organ and Tissue Donation
It’s Your Decision! 2

3. The Need
There are more than 112,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in the US
18 people die each day in the US simply because there aren’t enough organs to go to everyone who needs one
A new name is added to the US transplant waiting list every 12 minutes
Here are some statistics that show just how desperate the need is for donated organs and tissues.
This is an issue that can affect all of us on either the donation side or the receiving side. It may not be that you or someone you know will become a donor, but you or someone you love may end up needing to receive an organ or tissue transplant. 3

4. One person can save and heal up to 60 lives!
How does donation help?
One person can save and heal up to 60 lives!
All of the young people pictured above are from the Midwest. All of them received the life-saving transplant that they needed to be healthy again.
Not only is this an issue that can affect any one of us, but this is also a cause where we can all make a difference.
Each one of us has the potential to save or enhance up to 60 lives through organ and tissue donation!
Eight solid organs include heart, liver, pancreas, intestine, 2 lungs, 2 kidneys
More than 50 gifts through the donation of tissues like corneas, bone, veins, heart valves, skin and connective tissuue 4

5. You can help! Register to be an organ and tissue donor AND
Tell your family about your decision
If you support donation, register to be a donor by checking the box on your driver’s license
It’s also important to talk with your family and friends so they know what your thoughts are about donation and whether or not you choose to be a donor 5

6. Register to be a donor
Check the box on your driver’s license application
If you are 18 years or older, checking the box is a legal agreement. You are agreeing to be an organ and tissue donor if something were to happen to you and you died.
For those under the age of 18, parents or legal guardians ultimately make the decision for you. However, your designation on your license shows them what your wishes are.
Register online at
Available to anyone with a driver’s license or state identification card but do not have ‘donor’ marked on their driver’s license. This designation is also a legal agreement for those 18 and older.
The decision to become an organ and tissue donor is one of the first adult decision’s you’ll be asked to make
Check the box on your driver’s license application if you choose to be a donor. Until you turn 18, however, your parents or guardians will still have the final say. That’s why it’s so important to tell them about your decision and why you want to be a donor
If you aren’t sure if you want to put it on your driver’s license or if you forget, you can add it later at or 6

7. Talk with your family!
Remember – it’s always important to share your wishes with your loved ones! 7

8. What organs and tissues can be donated?8

9. Just about anyone can donate life!
Who can be a donor?
Just about anyone can donate life!
Donation either occurs:
After death (deceased donation) OR
While a person is still living (living donation) 9

10. Registering to be a donor
Registering to be a donor means you are choosing to give your organs and tissues to people who are sick after your death.
Registering to be a donor does not include living donation.
Although people can donate their organs both while they are living and after death, when you register to be a donor it is ONLY consent for donation after death.
If a person is interested in donating an organ while they are living it is a separate process, handled directly through the transplant center. 10

11. Deceased Donation
All deceased donors suffer some kind of severe head injury
Doctors and medical professionals do everything they can to save the patient
Donation can only take place after a patient has died
These steps outline what happens when someone becomes severely injured, does not survive and donation is an option.
When we talk about donors suffering a head injury, we’re talking about things like a stroke, car/motorcycle/bike accident, a fall or some other kind of head trauma.
Even though doctors and medical professionals do everything they can to save a person’s life, sometimes a patient’s brain stops receiving the oxygen and nutrients it needs to survive and the patient dies.
Donation is ONLY considered after all efforts to save a person’s life have failed.
All organ donors are at a hospital and on a ventilator at the time of their death. The ventilator keeps blood and oxygen flowing to the person’s organs so they remain healthy until they can be recovered for transplant. 11

12. Living Donation
Some people choose to be organ donors while they are living, often to a family member or friend
Most commonly, people donate a kidney while living
Partial liver and partial lung can also be donated, but are more rare
A person can also be a donor while they are living… 12

13. Organ and Tissue Donation: The Gift of Life
Up next…
Common Questions about Donation 13

14. Doctors will try to save my life first, right?
Yes! Doctors do everything in their power to treat each patient – their number one priority is saving YOUR life.
The doctors involved in treating you are not the same doctors involved in the transplant process. Donation is only an option after death. 14

15. How do people know if I registered as a donor?
At the time of death, medical professionals check the state driver’s license database and online registry to see if the person documented their decision to donate their organs and tissues.
It is not necessary to look at a person’s license. 15

16. Are donors treated with respect?
Yes! Donors are treated with great care and dignity.
Organ and tissue recovery is a respectful surgical procedure, and donors are able to have an open casket funeral or any type of viewing. 16

17. Who pays for donation?
There is no cost to the donor or the donor’s family for organ and tissue donation.
All costs related to donation are paid by LifeSource and are passed on to the recipient and their health insurance company as part of their transplant procedure. 17

18. What does my religion say about donation?
All major religions either support donation as a generous and compassionate act or leave it up to the individual as a personal choice.
If you have a question about your religion, talk with people you trust. 18

19. How do I register as a donor?
In Minnesota:
Check the box on your driver’s license application OR
Register online at
You first have the opportunity to register as a donor on your driver’s license application.
If you choose to register as a donor after you receive your driver’s license, you can register online at You need a driver’s license or state ID to register online. 19

20. MN Driver’s License Application20

21. Your driver’s license will show “DONOR”21

22. How do I register as a donor?
In North Dakota:
Check the box on your driver’s license application OR
Register online at
You first have the opportunity to register as a donor on your driver’s license application.
If you choose to register as a donor after you receive your driver’s license, you can register online at You need a driver’s license or state ID to register online. 22

23. How do I register as a donor?
In South Dakota:
Check the box on your driver’s license application OR
Register by mail using a form found at
You first have the opportunity to register as a donor on your driver’s license application.
If you choose to register as a donor after you receive your driver’s license, you can register by mail using a form found online at 23

24. How do I get more information?
Contact LifeSource:
888.5.DONATE
LifeSource is the non-profit organization that manages organ and tissue donation in our area (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and parts of western Wisconsin).
Please contact LifeSource if you have more questions or would like more information. 24

25. Questions
1. How many people in the U.S. are currently waiting for an organ transplant?
How many people in the U.S. die each day because they didn’t receive the transplant they needed?
How many people can be impacted by one organ and tissue donor?
What steps should be taken to register as a donor?
Who makes the decision to be an organ and tissue donor if the person is under the age of 18?
List the eight organs that can be donated.
List five tissues that can be donated.
Answers:
More than 112,000 18 60
Check the box on your driver’s license application or renewal OR register online at Always share your decision with your loved ones.
Parents or guardian.
Heart, 2 Lungs, 2 Kidneys, Liver, Pancreas, Intestine
Cornea, Bone, Connective Tissue, Heart Valves, Veins, Skin 25

26. True/False 1. Donors can have an open casket funeral or viewing.
All major religions support donation.
If I support donation, all I have to do to make my wishes known is tell my family.
The donor’s family has to pay for donation.
If a person is 18 years of age or older and has ‘donor’ designation on their driver’s license, that is considered legal authorization for donation and will ensure the person’s decision is honored.
Answers:
True.
False. In addition to telling your family, check the box on your driver’s license application or renewal form OR register online.
False. 26