In some cases, an organ donor is a 'living donor' - meaning that donating the organ will not harm the donor. For example - when a brother gives one of his two kidneys to his sister, or a mother gives a lobe of her liver to her child.
Timing is critical with organ and tissue donations.
It is not required that the donor be kept on life support. Brain death is determined by the doctors working in the Intensive Care Unit. Contrary to what is commonly thought, age is not a barrier to organ or tissue donation. Infants as small as 4 kilograms in weight and adults well over 80 years of age can be donors. Unfortunately, when it comes to organ and tissue donation, timing is very, very important.