About How to Become a Donor What You Can Donate Get the Facts

Organ & Tissue Donation

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Organ donation is one of the foremost advances in modern medicine.

Globally and nationally, there is a donor organ shortage. The demand for organ, eye and tissue donation exceeds the number of donors in the U.S.

Organ donation is the process of surgically taking healthy organs and tissues from one person for transplantation into another. The organs can come from either living donors or deceased donors.

Transplants are needed when a recipient’s organ has failed or is been damaged by injury or disease. Every year, the lives of thousands of recipients are saved and improved by the gift of organ and tissue donation.

How to Become an Organ or Tissue Donor

Organ donation is voluntary and mechanisms are in place to protect your health, safety and privacy.

Donation after death: People of all ages and medical histories can consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition and age at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated.

Living organ donation: To donate a kidney or part of your liver, you must meet certain age and health requirements. Organs from a live donor can shorten the waiting period for transplant patients. The surgery can be performed with fewer complications and, often, better patient outcomes.

It's easy to become an organ donor — you can indicate your intention in the following ways:

Register to Donate After Death

You can sign up to donate your organs, eyes or tissue after death. It's a way of giving your legal consent for the anatomical gift of tissue and organs after your death.

Join Donate Life California Registry

Become a Living Kidney Donor

You have several options on how to donate your kidney. You can do directly donate to someone you know or use a paired exchange or voucher program.

Learn About Living Kidney Donation

Become a Living Liver Donor

You can donate part of your liver to someone you care about. Both your liver piece and the transplanted piece grow back to normal size.

Learn About Living Liver Donation

Learn more about the Donate Life California organ donation registry.

What You Can Donate for Transplantation

Bones
Corneas and whole eyes
Heart Valves
Skin
Organs, including the heart, intestines, liver, lungs, kidneys and pancreas
Veins
Soft tissues, including tendons and ligaments

Get the Facts About Organ Donation

Don’t get confused by persistent misconceptions and inaccuracies about donations. Here are some facts to help you understand organ, eye and tissue donation:

Myth: If emergency room doctors know you’re an organ, eye and tissue donor, they won’t work as hard to save you.

Myth: You are too old or ill to be a donor.

Myth: Your religion prohibits organ, eye and tissue donation.

Myth: Organ and tissue donation disfigures the body and changes how it looks in a casket.

Myth: Only hearts, livers and kidneys can be transplanted.

Video: Watch Honor Walk for Organ Donor

Friends and family standing by one side of the corridor cry as Fire Captain Robin Cervantes's body is wheeled to the operating room for the donation by hospital workers.

Fire Captain Robin Cervantes, who died in an accident, donated four organs that helped four recipients. His family, friends and medical team paid tribute to his generosity with an Honor Walk as his body was wheeled to the operating room for the donation at UC San Diego Health.