1. How to Become an Everyday Hero!
Donate Life:
Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation
Education for Teens
It’s true -- with the simple and quick step of registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor on Wisconsin’s donor registry, you become an everyday hero!
Your generation is considered to be “change makers.” Change makers are known for their desire to inspire those around them, ask questions, connect the dots and collaborate with others to see positive changes in the world.
After learning more about what it means to be a registered organ donor, I hope that you’ll connect the dots and make the decision to register and become a hero.

2. Why are organ and tissue donations needed? Which organs and
tissues can be donated?
What does
registering as an
organ donor mean?
When you hear that you’ll be learning about organ donation, you may have some questions. I hope to address the most common questions in the time we have today. I’ll explain:
the need for organ, tissue and eye donors, as well as …
understanding why it’s important to consider registering as an organ donor and …
how donation dramatically changes someone’s life and the lives of the people who are close to them, like their family and friends
It’s important for all of us to make an informed decision by learning the facts about registering as an organ, tissue and eye donor.

3. Why Is Organ Donation A Teen Driver Education Class Topic?
Kelly registered as an organ donor at the DMV when she was 16
She died 4 weeks after receiving her driver’s license
Former Governor Tommy Thompson signed the Kelly Nachreiner Law on May 5, 2000
This Law created an educational mandate requiring 30 minutes of instruction on organ donation in teen driver education classes
The first law of its kind in the U.S.– now nearly 20 other states have a similar mandate
The number of teens registering as organ donors increased 20% since enacting the law
Organ donation information is part of your driver education curriculum:
First, in Wisconsin all teen driver education students receive information on organ donation because of a law enacted in This slide provides background on the Kelly Nachreiner law.
This is the short story about how that law came about:
Kelly Nachreiner got her driver’s license on her 16th birthday and her mother was with her at the DMV. The DMV associate asked Kelly whether she wanted to register as an organ donor. She turned to her mother and said, “Mom, I think it’s a good thing to register as a donor!”
Tragically, Kelly was a passenger in a car involved in an accident and she died within one month of registering as a donor at the DMV.
Since Kelly was a registered organ donor (and her mother also knew her wishes), Kelly’s decision to register at the DMV prevented her parents from having to make that decision for her during one of the worst times in their life!
Kelly heroically saved 3 people’s lives by donating some of her organs.
When Kelly’s high school friends learned that she was an organ and tissue donor, many of them didn’t know what that meant.
Kelly’s mother worked with a legislator to draft a law requiring organ donation education for Wisconsin teen driver education classes. Within 5 months of Kelly’s death the law was passed!
2. You’ll be asked this very important question about whether you want to be an organ donor when you get your license at the DMV. I want you to be prepared to answer that question.
Kelly Nachreiner Law
Wisconsin Act 124
Organ donor on January 4, 2000
Saved 3 lives!

4. Why Are Organs and Tissues Needed for Transplant?
A large gap exists between the number of donors and
the number of people needing and waiting for an organ transplant
In this graph:
people needing an organ transplants in the U.S. in January 2018 are represented by the orange line
the number of transplants performed each year are noted by the green line
the blue line represents the number of deceased and living donors
Although the number of people waiting for an organ transplant has decreased over the past 3 years, a large gap still exists between the number of people waiting for that gift-of-life organ transplant and the number of donors. The number of donors (the blue line) has remained relatively flat for the past 14 years.
To increase the number of organ, tissue and eye donors we need to increase the number of registered donors. When more people are registered, their family doesn’t have to make the decision for them.
Registering as a donor is actually a gift to your family because you have legally authorized your decision to be a donor.
Often, if someone hasn’t registered as a donor, their family assumes that they didn’t want to be a donor. Yet, it may be that the person just never thought about it or spoke about their wishes with their family.

5. What Does 115,000 People Look Like?
Green Bay’s Lambeau Field seats 81,441 green and gold fans
UW-Madison’s Camp Randall Stadium can seat 80,321 to cheer the Badgers
41,900 Brewer’s fans can watch the game at Miller Park
81,441 fans
80,321 fans
34,921 fans
The graph on the previous slide showed about 115,000 people in the U.S. waiting for an organ transplant at the beginning of 2018.
If you’ve ever been to one of these stadiums in Wisconsin you know how large these venues are
Considering the entire U.S. population of over 323 million, or the state of Wisconsin’s population of 5.8 million people – to you, 115,000 people may not sound like a lot
To put that number into perspective, think about filling one of these stadiums in Wisconsin and then having to find room for the rest of the people who couldn’t get seats
41,900 fans
University of Michigan Stadium Seats 115,000

6. Wisconsin’s Organ Transplant Waitlist
2,275 Waiting
54 Children Waiting
In Wisconsin, there are 2,275 people waiting for a life-saving transplant.
There are 54 children, and the parents and family who love them, hoping that they’ll receive the gift of hope and a second chance at life with an organ transplant.
OPTN Data: April 2018

7. Amazing Facts Every 10 minutes someone else is added
to the national waitlist
for an organ transplant =
144 names per day, on average
20 people die each day before receiving the life-saving transplant,
on average
These are two facts to help you understand the importance of organ donors for patients waiting on the transplant list.
Every 10 minutes a new patient’s name is added to the list. So, that means that during the time that I’m speaking with you today, 3 people will be added to the list. In a 24-hour period, 144 people are added to the national waitlist for an organ transplant.
And yet, sadly, 20 people will die today before they receive an organ transplant that can save their life. That’s almost one person every hour.
What would you want if you, or someone very special to you, needed an organ transplant? Would you want yourself, or them, to receive that gift of life with a transplant?
Would you really want to be one of those green figures on the right – one of the 20 people who aren’t able to receive that gift of hope in time with a transplant?

8. The Organ Donation Opportunity Is Rare
The reality is that most of us don’t die in a manner allowing for organ donation – this is the reason there aren’t enough organ donors for the number of waiting recipients.
In a group of 100 people, approximately 3 might die as a result of brain death.
Brain death allows for the potential of organ donation because the patient is in a hospital on mechanical support. Mechanical support means that the patient is ventilated with a respirator. The machine moves breathable air into and out of their lungs, for a patient who is physically unable to breathe on their own.
Brain death is death – the brain has permanently stopped working. There are a series of medical tests that are conducted to determine if a patient is brain dead. These tests include:
checking reflexes
seeing if there is a lack of pupil response
is there any level of electrical activity in the brain
There is no “coming back” from brain death - there is nothing more the medical team can do to help the patient survive their trauma
And, just to be clear, a coma is a state of deep sleep – a coma is not the same medical condition as brain death.
3 out of 100, or, <3% of the population

9. The Power of Organ Donation
As you can see, one deceased donor can have an enormous effect on the lives of others, including the recipient’s family and friends:
One deceased donor can donate up to 8 organs, although the average number of organs donated is organs per donor
One deceased tissue donor can save or enhance the lives of up to 75 different people with the gifts of corneas and other tissues

10. Stories of Hope Laura Organ Donor Carol Organ Recipient
Classroom instructors with internet and speakers – click on the Pictures to play each video
Story of Laura Miller, teen organ donor (4 minutes)
“Journey of the Heart” at this YouTube link: (7 minutes)
Laura
Organ Donor
Carol
Organ Recipient

11. Who Can Be A Donor?
Anyone from babies to the elderly can be an organ, tissue and eye donor
Doctors and nurses review a patient’s social history (drinking, smoking, drug use, etc.) and their medical record. There are very few medical conditions that rule someone out to be an organ donor.

12. Why Are Organ Donations Needed?
Infant with a Berlin heart (artificial heart) waiting for a heart transplant
Someone is born with a defect to one of their organs, such as a heart
A person’s organ can stop working
A genetic disease can cause an organ to not work well or fail
Medications, or lifestyle choices, can cause an organ not to function
Children can be born with defects to their heart, lungs, liver or kidneys and need a transplant to survive
Sometimes organs don’t work well or may even stop working
Some people are born with a genetic disease that causes an organ not to function very well, or worsen to a state referred to as end stage organ failure
When someone’s organ fails, they may be close to death. The only way they can have a future is to receive the gift of life with an organ transplant.

13. Which Organs and Tissues Can Be Donated?
Eight Organs
Heart
Two Lungs
Two Kidneys
Liver
Intestines
Pancreas
Tissues
Corneas
Tendons
Valves
Veins
Skin
Bones
This slide shows the eight organs on the left that can be donated from a deceased donor with a description of ways that the type of organ transplant benefits the recipient. Organ recipients need to take many medications, called immunosuppressants, to prevent their body from rejecting the organ.
The tissues that can be donated are on the right side. Tissue transplants are referred to as “grafts.”
The gift of a cornea, the clear covering over the eye, is an amazing and powerful gift allowing the recipient to gain sight
Skin grafts are considered life-saving gifts. Skin grafts help a burn victim survive their injuries when they don’t have enough healthy skin to serve as temporary bandages over their burns.
Bone grafts can be used to prevent amputation when a patient has a cancerous bone tumor. Bone grafts are also used in spinal and dental surgeries to replace damaged or missing bone in the recipient.
Cornea and tissue recipients don’t need to take immunosuppressant medications because their body “accepts” the tissue and doesn’t try to reject it

14. How Are Organ and Tissue Donations Different?
Life-saving
Patient suffers brain death while on a mechanical ventilator
Organs are recovered, preserved and quickly transplanted
Recipients take life-long drug therapies to prevent rejection
Organ Donation
Life-enhancing or life-saving
Recovery occurs within 24 hours after heart stops beating
Tissues are preserved for use at a later date
Recipients don’t need drug therapies to prevent rejection
Tissue Donation
There is a difference between organ donation and tissue donation
As I said before, most people don’t die in a way that allows them to donate organs – fewer than 3% of the population dies from a trauma that causes brain death
Organ donation is a life-saving treatment for the recipient
Organs are surgically recovered very quickly so they can be transplanted into the recipient who is in another hospital, most likely
Tissue donation can occur more frequently because tissues are recovered after someone passes away (their heart has stopped beating).
I could die in a motor vehicle accident and be taken to a funeral home.
Since I’m a tissue donor, tissues that could be donated to others could be recovered at the funeral home.
Tissues don’t need to be transplanted right away into others – they are preserved and surgeons request them when they need them.

15. Your Chances Of Becoming An Organ Donor
This may be difficult to believe, but statistical studies have shown that you are 6 times more likely to NEED an organ or tissue transplant than to be an donor.

16. How Does Someone Get An Organ Transplant?
Diagnosis
Patient is diagnosed with the need for an organ transplant
Patient is referred to a transplant center by their physician for evaluation
Evaluation and Waitlisting
Patient is evaluated by transplant center with medical tests and other appointments – this process can take 3 – 4 months
A committee reviews the patient’s case and either accepts or denies the patient as a transplant candidate
When a patient is accepted they’re added to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) national waitlist for a transplant
Transplant Candidate Management and Status
Transplant center manages the patient
Patient has monthly labs drawn (serologies) to remain active on the waitlist
Priority status increases as the patient’s health declines
Transplant Surgery
Donor is identified - a match run of the donor’s blood & tissue type is run against the database of waitlisted patient’s blood & tissue types
Transplant centers with candidates who match the donor are notified and either accept or reject the offer
Candidate is offered the organ(s) if they’re well enough to survive the surgery
Organs are recovered, transported and transplanted into the candidate
Recovery and Rehabilitation
Transplanted candidate is removed from the UNOS waitlist
Patient receives education on medications, diet , exercise and rehabilitation
Patient receives frequent check-ups at transplant clinic
A patient diagnosed with failing organs, or someone who is in organ failure, is referred to a transplant clinic
The transplant clinic uses medical tests and interviews to evaluate the patient. A committee of transplant doctors and nurses, social workers and other healthcare professionals discuss the patient’s case. The committee decides if they’re transplant center is willing to list the patient for an organ transplant.
After a patient is accepted, the transplant center manages their care, along with the patient’s primary doctor. The patient also has to comply with monthly blood tests to continue to be on the transplant waiting list. The blood tests are important to match a donor with a recipient.
When an organ donor is identified their blood and tissue type is entered into a computer database. When an organ is available, an Organ Procurement Organization creates a “match run” in the database to find eligible recipients. They offer the organ to a transplant center for the waitlisted patient who has the best match. When the transplant center accepts the organ offer, they contact the patient to come in for surgery.
After the transplant surgery and during their recovery, the recipient makes many visits to the transplant center. Their medication levels are monitored to prevent organ rejection. The recipient takes these prescriptions for the rest of their life and make annual visits to the transplant center for check-ups.

17. Meet Michaela
Michaela was a happy, healthy and active sports-playing high school junior who thought she had a case of the flu.
As a person who was rarely sick, she missed a few days of school and her mother took her to the doctor. Instead of prescribing some meds, or suggesting more rest at home, her doctor immediately admitted Michaela to American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison.
Michaela and her family learned that she had Wilson’s disease – a genetic and very serious disease of the liver.
Wilson's disease is a rare, inherited disorder that causes copper to accumulate in your liver, brain and other vital organs to a life-threatening level.
Michaela got some really tough news from her doctor. He told her that if she didn’t get a liver transplant right away she would likely die within 4 days.
Fortunately for Michaela, she did receive that liver transplant in time from a deceased donor.
Michaela was able to celebrate her 18th birthday, enjoy fun times with her two nieces, go to college, graduate with a degree in Marketing and start her career. All of this made possible by the kindness of a hero who became an organ donor.

18. Gratitude For A Second Chance!
All of the people that you see here received a gift of hope at a second chance at life with an organ transplant. Many of these individuals would have died or lived with serious health issues for the rest of their life.
Tell me what you notice about the people pictured in this slide? (Answers should be – all ages, kids and adults, all colors and ethnicities, both genders, etc.)

19. Meet Aaron
You might be surprised to learn that Aaron Rodgers had his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) replaced with deceased donor tissue before he joined the Packers.
Aaron has said that he believes that the ACL from the tissue donor reduced his running time by 4 seconds!

20. Super Heroes
These valiant organ donors saved dozens of lives and helped heal many other lives with their gifts of organ, tissue and eye donations.
Clockwise from upper left: meet baby Sofia, Matthew, B.J., Josh, Sandy, Christopher, Becky, young Da’Quan, and toddler Natalia.
What do you notice about these organ donors? (Answers should be – all ages, kids and adults, all colors and ethnicities, both genders, etc.)

21. Why Register As An Organ Donor?
It’s Gift to Your Family
Your family doesn’t have to decide on your behalf
Families can find great comfort and their grief journey can be eased when their loved one is a donor, leaving a legacy for others
It’s Free And Easy To Be An Everyday Hero
There is no cost to you or your family if you’re a donor
It’s easy to register online and saves a trip to the DMV
Your Donation Can Help Others
In most instances, your donation stays in your local area
An organ and tissue donor can have a positive impact on a large number of people, including the family and friends of the organ, tissue or cornea recipient
When you register as an organ, tissue and eye donor, you join over 3 million people in Wisconsin who have said, “Yes” to registering as a donor. Whether or not you choose to join this group, your decision can have an impact on your family and maybe even save someone’s life after you have died.
Making an informed decision to be an organ, tissue and eye donor is your first-person authorization. This is a gift to your family during a very difficult time. If the rare incident should happen and you can be an organ donor, having made that decision means that your family doesn’t have to on your behalf.
In Wisconsin, we consider each person who registers as a donor as an “everyday hero,” someone who is willing to give of themselves when that rare opportunity occurs.
Donation is a gift that helps other people – not just the recipients, but their families, friends and the communities where they live.

22. How Do I Register? At the DMV Online at www.DonateLifeWisconsin.org
Online in Spanish at DoneVidaWisconsin.org
When you obtain your new driver license or state I.D. you can register at the DMV. Wisconsin is fortunate that the average wait in our state DMVs is only 10 minutes.
It only takes about 90 seconds to register as an organ, tissue and eye donor online in English at DonateLifeWisconsin.org or in Spanish at DoneVidaWisconsin.org
Note: when you register at the DMV your registration is part of Wisconsin’s online registry. You don’t need to take the additional step of registering online. The online registry exists because it allows the nurses working at Organ Procurement Organizations to look up a patient’s registry status in real-time.

23. Wisconsin Donor Registry Data
Nearly 60% of Wisconsin residents have said “Yes!” to organ, tissue and eye donation for transplantation, research and education.
There is still opportunity to educate and encourage others to register as donors.
Organ, tissue and eye donation is an amazing gift of hope for those who are suffering with a life-threatening illness or serious disease.
When 43% of Wisconsin residents over 15½ years of age aren’t registered, we know that there is a large opportunity to educate many more people – almost 2 million in fact!

24. How Does Registering As A Donor Affect Me?
First, we can need a transplant at any time – you never know what tomorrow may bring.
Second, consider if you had a family member or friend who suffers with one of these medical issues…
Organ failure
severe burns over a large part of their body
bone cancer and a bone transplant would prevent amputation
Is legally blind due to damaged corneas
Wouldn’t you want the “gift of hope” with an organ, tissue or corneal transplant to be available for you or those you know who are in need?
We can become ill or injured at any time. A transplanted organ or tissue could be part of the treatment to help you live or to heal.
If you had a family member or friend who suffered with one of these medical problems:
Organ failure
Severe burns over a large part of their body
Bone cancer and a bone transplant would prevent a limb from being amputated
Legally blind from damaged corneas
If you’re willing to accept an organ or tissue donation for yourself, or for someone close to you maybe you should consider registering as a donor.

25. Facts About Organ Donation
Does donation disfigure the body?
Does donation delay a funeral?
Is there a cost to the donor or their family?
Open casket funerals can occur following donation
Organs are removed during a surgical procedure in an operating room
Areas where tissue donation occur are reconstructed and concealed by clothing No
The act of donation doesn’t cause untimely delays for the funeral
The recovering agency ensures that the donor’s body is released to the funeral home on time
If you are a donor, your family or your insurance doesn’t pay any bills or costs related to the donation
Your family does pay the cost of funeral expenses
Highlight the bullets in bold font

26. More Facts About Organ Donation
Are organs transplanted locally?
Do the wealthy or celebrities get priority for a transplant?
How do religions feel about organ donation?
Yes, when there are local or regional recipients who match the organ and no other kidney waitlist patients in the U.S. who are a perfect match
Approximately 85 – 90% of all organs donated in Wisconsin are used for transplant in Wisconsin
No, the national system ensures that a donor is matched with the best possible recipient with the most medical need and who has been waiting the longest
Race, gender, age, financial or celebrity status aren’t factors in selecting recipients
Organ donation is considered a charitable act of widely-known religions
Please consult your faith leader if you are unsure about your religion’s position on organ donation
Highlight the bullets in bold font

27. Facts About Organ Donation
Can you legally pay someone to donate an organ in the U.S?
Are the donor family and recipients able to meet?
What is the success rate for organ, tissue and eye donation?
Federal law prohibits the purchase and sale of organs for transplantation in the U.S.
The national system matching donor organs to recipients is regulated by the Federal Government
Initial contacts are coordinated by the recovery organization to protect the confidentiality of the donor, donor family, and recipients
Meetings can be arranged if both parties sign a consent form to release their contact information
High - The success rate for transplanted organs is 80 – 90% depending upon the type of organ and the type of donor (living or deceased)
Cornea transplant procedures experience a 95% success rate
There are over 1,000,000 successful tissue transplants each year!
Highlight the bullets in bold font

28. What Are My Next Steps? Decide Document Discuss
Get the facts to answer your questions at
Make an informed decision
Document
Register at DonateLifeWisconsin.org, DoneVidaWisconsin.org or at the DMV
Registering ensures that your first person authorization is legally recorded
Discuss
What are your next steps?
First, it’s O.K. if you make a decision not to register as a donor, just remember that if something tragic does happen to you, then your family has to make that decision at a very difficult time for them. The sad circumstances that often accompanies donation is no time for families to be surprised, or confused, about their loved one’s final wishes. It’s very important that you share your personal perspective regarding donation with your family so that they understand how you feel about this decision
Remember these 3 actions as your next steps:
Decide – Get the facts about organ, tissue and eye donation to answer your questions and be able to make an informed decision. I hope that you’ve learned some new facts today.
Document – register either online or at the DMV when you get your driver’s license. Also, remember to register every time you renew your license to legally record your decision.
Discuss – sharing your opinion with your family lets them know your feelings about organ, tissue and eye donation
Talk to your family and share your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor so they’re aware of your feelings about organ donation
Those under 18 years of age may still have their donation decision overruled by their next-of-kin

29. The Bravery of Everyday Heroes
Meet little Bella – her life was saved by the gift of a liver transplant so that she is growing and thriving as an active little girl.
Say to the class, “Putting aside the topic of organ, tissue and eye donation …. I’m interested in how a few of you would define a hero? Take a minute to think about this.
Will 2 or 3 of you share your definition of a hero?”
Bella received a liver transplant

30. This quotation also defines a hero
An organ donor is someone who has given a gift to others that ripples throughout the community
Families of organ and tissue donors will share that the fact that their loved one lives on in others gives them a sense of peace and hope that helps them deal with the pain of their grief.
Recipients are able to enjoy more time with their family and friends and experience those special life moments like a wedding, special anniversary, birth of a child or grandchild, as examples.

31. Real Everyday Heroes
These two teenagers registered at the DMV because they feel that donation can save lives and heal others!

32. Before I end this presentation, do you have any questions?
Thanks for your time today! I hope that I provided information that explained:
the need for organ, tissue and eye donors, as well as …
understanding why it’s important to consider registering as an organ donor and …
how donation dramatically changes someone’s life and the lives of the people who are close to them, like their family and friends