Educate the public and health professionals about the needs and benefits of tissue donation. Train transplant technicians so that tissue is available for transplantation. Since 1982, the American Red Cross has provided lifesaving and life-enhancing tissue to more than 600,000 people. In 1999, with the help of over 2,200 generous donors, the Red Cross distributed about 85,000 human tissue grafts for transplantation. The Red Cross donates tissue for use in medical research and education.
Most tissue is either frozen or freeze-dried.
Tissue transplantation does not require that the donor and the recipient have similar blood types. There has not been one known case of AIDS or hepatitis transmission from a Red Cross transplant. Each year, thousands of people with healthy tissue die without indicating their willingness to donate their tissue. All figures are based on 1999-2000 data. The American National Red Cross.