Donation can provide considerable comfort to families who realize their loved one has given others new life. Donation is considered only after all efforts to save life have been exhausted and death has occurred. The transplant team has no involvement prior to death and is called in only after death has been declared. The donated organs will be transplanted into those people who need them most urgently. Recipient selection is based on medical criteria such as blood type, genetic make-up, and body size.
People receive tissues based upon their medical condition.
Race and social status are not a factor in selecting recipients. It is a surgical procedure performed by trained surgeons and medical personnel. The body is treated with the utmost of care and respect, so that an open-casket funeral remains an option. Family members bear no expense except for funeral arrangements, burial, and hospital medical expenses incurred prior to death. Within a few weeks, the family will receive general information about who received the organs and how they are doing.