1. Organ and Tissue Donation

2. Donor Network of Arizona
Federally designated, nonprofit, organ procurement organization (OPO)
OPOs - Responsible for two main functions within their designated service area:
1) Increasing the number of registered donors
2) Coordinating the donation process
Donor Network of Arizona is the organ procurement organization (OPO) for the state of Arizona. Each state has its own OPO while some states like California have more than one because of its size.
Donor Network of Arizona coordinates all of the organ donation for transplant in Arizona and is also a full service tissue and eye recovery organization.
When someone registers as a donor in Arizona, they are registering with the DonateLifeAZ registry, which is run by Donor Network of Arizona.
Learn more at

3. Donation facts
Every 10 minutes, someone is added to the national transplant waiting list.
On average 22 people die each day while waiting for a transplant.
* As of January 2018

4. What is donation? Lifesaving gift to others in need
Comfort to donor families
Not only does donation save and heal the lives of transplant recipients, donor families are comforted knowing their loved one was able to help others and lives on in them.
Donor Family Services maintains a two year relationship with any family of a willing donor. This includes regular letters and invitations to events where families can honor their loved one.

5. Donation Overview Organ Donors Tissue Donors Living Donors
Four types of donors
Organ Donors
Tissue Donors
Donor Network of Arizona currently coordinates these four types of donation in the state of Arizona. Birth tissue recovery began in April 2018, whereby mothers can choose to donate their placenta and other associated birth tissue to help heal others.
Living Donors
Birth Tissue Donation

6. Organ donation
1:8
One organ donor can save eight lives.

7. What organs can be donated?
Lungs (2)
Liver
Intestines
Heart
Kidneys (2)
Pancreas

8. The paths to organ donation
When a patient has irreversible and complete loss of all brain function.
Brain death
When a patient has severe brain damage from which they will not recover, and their family decides to withdraw care.
Donation after circulatory death
There are very specific circumstances that must occur for someone to become an organ donor (tissue donation is different).
Someone must either pass away by brain death, meaning there is no longer any brain function. The patient may look like they are breathing because they are hooked up to mechanical devices that are keeping their heart beating, but the person has no chance of “waking up,” they have passed away.
There is also the option of donation after circulatory death. In this case, the patient has suffered a severe brain injury from which they won’t recover, but they haven’t progressed all the way to brain death. If their family decides to withdraw care (i.e. take them off of the ventilator), there is potential for organ donation.

9. Organ preservation times*
After the organ is recovered from a donor, there is a very short timeframe that it can be outside of the body. This is why compatible matches are first looked for within the state, then region, then in some cases an organ can be transported across the country.
*Information from

10. Sunni, Mark and Traci
Sunni was just 17 years old when she passed away in a tragic car accident.
Because of her decision to register as an organ donor, four people are alive today.
The man who received her heart, Mark, was able to meet Sunni’s mom, Traci, and thank her for her daughter’s gift of life.
Registering gives hope to people like Mark and allows you to live on through others.

11. True or False?
“The doctors will not try as hard to save me if they know I’m an organ donor.”

12. FALSE
The doctors and nurses caring for patients in the hospital are not the same doctors involved in the donation and transplantation process.
Donation is not an option until someone has passed away. Until that time, doctors and nurses do everything in their power to save the person in their care.
The doctors who are involved in caring for patients at the hospital are not the same doctors involved in the donation and transplantation process.

13. Tissue donation
One tissue donor can restore health and heal the lives of more than 75 people.
While an organ donor can save up to 8 lives through donation, a tissue donor can impact many more.

14. What tissues can be donated?
Lifesaving and life enhancing tissues
Corneas
Skin
Bones
Connective
tissue
Heart valves
Blood vessels
Some examples of ways these tissues are used:
Corneas – restore sight
Skin – heals burn victims or can be used in breast reconstruction for cancer patients
Bones – replace damaged or diseased bone
Connective tissue – repair torn muscles and ligaments, such as ACLs or torn rotator cuffs
Heart valves – these are life-saving for children with heart defects
Blood vessels – replace damaged blood vessels

15. What is the cornea?
The clear, contact-like tissue covering the front of the eye that is the main focusing element.
Vision is dramatically reduced if the cornea becomes cloudy from disease, injury or infection.
A cornea transplant can repair or restore the vision of the recipient.

16. Bone donation Bone donation is another aspect of tissue donation.
This person’s femur had a tumor, and a donor bone was able to replace the diseased area to repair the femur.
Without transplant, the patient’s leg may have had to be amputated.
Before transplant
After transplant

17. Nathan
Nathan suffered a sports injury that required him to have surgery on his knee.
Thanks to a generous tissue donor, his ACL was repaired and he was able to go back to playing baseball for his high school.

18. Living donation A person can donate one kidney or part of the liver
Who can donate?
Good health
Must be 18 years or older
Directed or non-directed donation
Living donation is facilitated through transplant centers
Spencer Giles, on the right, is pictured with her sister, who was her kidney donor.
If someone donates a kidney or part of the liver to a person that they know it is called directed donation. A person can also donate a kidney to someone they do not know, this is called non-directed donation.
Kylie Wright and Spencer Giles, kidney donor and kidney recipient; sisters

19. Who can be a donor?
Anyone 15 ½+ can express their wishes to be an organ and tissue donor by joining the DonateLifeAZ Registry.
Until the age of 18, the final decision still falls to a parent.
Doctors determine medical suitability for donation at the time of a patient’s passing.
There is no age limit on registering to be a donor.
People with existing medical conditions can register and potentially donate.
Anyone can register as a donor once they turn 15 and a half.
Until they are 18, their parent could reverse their decision.
There’s no age limit on registering, meaning people in their nineties have been donors.
Even people with pre-existing diseases like diabetes or cancer could potentially become donors.

20. Why register? Sign up, save lives!
When you register as an organ and tissue donor, you’re saying you would one day want to be someone else’s hero.

21. Ways to register DONOR Online at DonateLifeAZ.org
Check the box at ADOT MVD and get the donor heart symbol on your license or permit.
Fill out a registration card today.
There are several ways you can register as a donor.
DONOR

22. Follow us! @DonateLifeAZ Share your decision!
Talk to your friends and family about your decision to register to save & heal lives.
Share on social media and encourage your social networks to register as well.
Follow us!
You can also follow us on our social media platforms at DonateLifeAZ.
@DonateLifeAZ