If there are costs, they are borne by others. It is always best to discuss this subject with next of kin and other family members, because doctors will rely on their consent even if you sign a donor card. Q. I know people who are afraid to sign donor cards because they are afraid that someone might pull the plug on a person who is not yet dead just to get the organs. The treatment of a person as a patient is separate from organ donation. The doctor who declares brain death is not part of the transplant team, which doesn't get involved until after all efforts to save a patient's life have been made.
Brain death is total cessation of brain function, and there are tests to determine that.
Parts of the body involved in organ and tissue donation are not normally visible during an open-casket funeral. In some cases, there may be some reconstruction done by the transplant team or the mortician. You should have the same appearance as anyone who was not a donor.