Organ donation is an incredible medical process that saves and transforms lives every day. Organ donation involves surgically removing organs from a donor and transplanting them into someone who is dying or very ill as a result of organ failure. As of May 2022, there were more than 3 million Australians who had registered their consent to donate their organs after their death. Organ donations can be made after a person dies. People can also choose to donate some organs whilst they are still alive. Organ donation can save and transform people’s lives. Understanding the process of becoming an organ donor in Australia is an important first step. Here is everything you need to know about becoming an organ donor.
What is Organ Donation?
Organ donation is a life-saving and life-transforming medical procedure. Living or deceased donors can choose to donate their organs or tissue to save or transform the life of someone who is dying or very ill from organ failure. Deceased donations are more common in Australia than living donations. Deceased donors must register their consent to donate their organs and/or tissue via the Australian Organ Donor Register. Unless you live in South Australia, you can no longer register to donate your organs when you get your driver’s license. Organ donors must voluntarily opt-in to donate their tissue and/or organs. Around 7 in 10 Australians express they are happy to donate their organs after they die, but without registering, this generous willingness can go to waste.
Donated organs are carefully removed by a surgeon for transplantation into another person who is suffering organ failure. All surgical incisions made to remove the donated organs are carefully closed as with any other surgery. For deceased donors, the way you die will determine if your organs can be donated. Your organs still need to be working well to have a successful transplant into another person. Organ donors usually need to die in a hospital whilst attached to a ventilator. Even if you have registered, your organs will only be donated if there is someone on the organ donor waitlist that is a good match for you. Eye and tissue donations can be made up to 24 hours after death, so you do not necessarily need to die in a hospital to donate your eye and tissue. You and your family will be informed and respected throughout the process, with your wishes and dignity of the utmost importance. Your medical team know and appreciates the great gift of compassion involved in consenting to organ donation, and will always treat it with the respect it deserves.
Who Can Become an Organ Donor?
Many people falsely assume that only young, healthy people can donate their organs. In reality, anyone has the potential to save and transform lives by becoming an organ donor. Australians aged 80 years and older have donated their organs successfully, as have people with chronic illnesses or who smoke or drink. Your ability to donate your organs depends on the condition of the specific organs you donate, your willingness to register your consent, and the manner in which you die. In Australia, anyone aged over 16 years is eligible to register their organs and tissue for donations after their death. Some individuals may also choose to make a living donation. This is much less common and usually involved donating part of your liver or one of your kidneys to someone you know. Some people do make anonymous living donations to people they don’t know, though this is always a personal choice which you should make after weighing up the risks and benefits of living donation.
What Organs and Tissues Can Be Donated?
Organ donations involve removing an organ from a donor and transplanting it into someone who is very ill or dying from organ failure. Organs that can be donated and transplanted include:
- Kidneys
- Lungs
- Heart
- Liver
- Large intestine
- Pancreas.
Tissue donations involve removing bodily tissue from a donor for transplantation into another person who is ill as a result of organ failure or illness. Tissues that can be donated include:
- Heart valves
- Heart tissue
- Amniotic tissue
- Pancreas tissue
- Eye tissue
- Tendons
- Ligaments
- Skin
- Bone
- Blood veins.
How Organ Donations Save and Transform Lives
Every year, organ, eye, and tissue donors save thousands of lives and improve the health, wellbeing and quality of live for thousands more. Surveys have shown that the majority of Australians support organ and tissue donation, but only 36% have registered to become an organ donor. Registering to donate your organs after your death simple process that takes just a few minutes and can make an enormous difference to the recipient or your organs and tissue, as well as their family and loved ones.
Who Receives Organ Donations?
Since 2009, over 15,500 people in Australia have received life-saving or life-transforming organ donations from 5,450 deceased organ donors. There are currently around 1,750 Australians on a waitlist for an organ donation, with a further 13,000 receiving dialysis. Kidney transplants can save the lives of people on dialysis who are suffering from kidney failure. People who are most frequently helped by organ donations include:
- People with kidney disease or kidney failure
- People with heart failure, heart infections or heart defects
- People with certain lung diseases like cystic fibrosis or emphysema
- People with liver disease, hepatitis B or C, or congenital (inherited) liver defects
- People with type 1 diabetes sometimes need a pancreas and/or kidney donation to survive
- People who are losing their eyesight or have gone blind as a result of corneal damage, injury or cancer
- People who need bone, ligament, tendons and meniscus due to cancers, injuries, fractures or other diseases
- People who need skin grafts after serious skin damage caused by infections, severe burns or other trauma.
Types of Organ and Tissue Donations
There are two main ways you can choose to donate your organs and/or tissues in Australia. The first and most common is known as deceased donations. Deceased donors opt in or register to donate some or all of their organs and tissues after they die. The donor’s family will be asked to confirm the decision to donate their organs and tissue. Organs can only be donated if the person dies in hospital, so that the organs can be preserved whilst the doctors prepare to transplant it into the patient who needs them. Even if you are registered as a deceased donor, your organs will only be donated if your family agrees and there is a suitable match for you on the organ donation waiting list. There are several types of organs and tissues that can be donated after you die.
The second and less common option is to be a living donor. Most living donations involve donating part of your liver or one of your kidneys to another person. This can be someone you know, like a close relative or a friend who is a match for you. It can also be for someone in need that you don’t know. As with deceased donations, this is entirely your decision. Some people can also donate some of their bone tissue while they are still alive if they are undergoing joint replacement surgery. Living donations can have impacts on the donors’ wellbeing, and usually involves a recovery process. There is social, emotional and financial support available for living donors who may need to take time off work to recover from the donation process.
Two additional, more rare types of organ donation are paediatric donation and Vascularised Composite Allografts (VCA) donations. Paediatric donations are important for infants and children who require organ or tissue transplants due to diseases or injuries. In some cases, transplants are required from similarly sized donors. Children under the age of 16 cannot consent to donating their organs and tissues, but parents of children who die can consent to donating organs and tissues to save the lives of other babies and children.
Vascularised Composite Allografts (VCA) are a specific type of transplant that requires donations of skin, bone, muscles, blood vessels, nerves and/or connective tissue. The most common use for VCAs are hand and face transplants. This type of transplant is lifechanging for people who have suffered serious facial or hand injuries. VCAs require explicit consent as part of an organ donor registration and must be agreed to by next of kind.
Organ Donation in Australia: the Facts
Registering to become an organ donor takes less than a minute. This quick, simple act can save and transform multiple lives. A single organ donor can save up to 7 lives, and improve the quality of life for many more through tissue and/or organ transplants. Since the National Organ Donor program was established in 2009, donor registration rates have steadily increased. However, in recent years there has been a slight decline, due to the disruption to healthcare systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
15 Things to Know About Becoming an Organ Donor
1. You Should Always Inform Your Family of Your Decision
Even if you are registered, your doctor will ask your family to confirm the decision to donate your organs. 9 out of 10 families who knew their deceased loved one wanted to donate their organs consented to the donation. This figure dropped to 4 out of 10 when the family was not aware of the person’s desire to donate their organs. If you want your organs to be donated after your death, it is important to discuss this with your loved ones. This will help them get used to the idea and understand that it is important to you, so they can advocate for your wishes on your behalf.
2. Organ and Tissue Donation is Supported by Many Religions
Organ and tissue donation is not against many religions. In fact, it is acknowledged as a great act of compassion and generosity and supported by most major religions including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism.
3. Organ Donation is Desperately Needed to Save Lives
Despite many people registering to donate their organs, only between 1 and 2 per cent of deaths are eligible for organ donation. Many people are currently on a waiting list for an organ donation, and some will sadly die waiting. The more people who have registered to donate their organs, the more lives can be saved.
4. You Can Become an Organ Donor at Any Age
You don’t need to be especially young and healthy to make a life-saving donation. Donors aged over 80 years have saved and transformed lives with successful tissue and organ donations.
5. You Can Donate Organs and Tissue After Your Death or Whilst You Are Still Alive
You can register to donate some or all of your eligible organs and tissue after you die. In special circumstances, you may also wish to make living donations of liver, kidney or bone tissue.
6. Organ Donation Will Not Disfigure Your Body
Surgeons take the utmost precision and care when removing donated organs from a deceased donor. Incisions will be carefully closed as with any other surgery. Your body will still be available for your family to view at a funeral service.
7. You Don’t Need to Be in Perfect Health to Become an Organ Donor
Smokers, drinkers and people with chronic health conditions have successfully donated their organs. Supervising doctors and surgeons will always ensure your organs are in a suitable condition for transplantation.
8. You Can Still Donate Your Organs if You Have Lived in the United Kingdom
People who lived in the United Kingdom for six consecutive months or more between 1980 and 1996 can not donate blood or tissue to avoid spreading Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. However, you can still register to donate your organs as this does not carry a risk of transmitting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
9. You Need to Register as an Organ Donor Even if You Did So When Getting Your Driver’s Licence
In the past, some states allowed you to register as an organ donor when receiving your driver’s licence. With the exception of South Australia, this is no longer a valid registration of your desire to donate organs. Checking if you are registered as an organ donor takes under a minute, and you can easily register if you have not already done so.
10. You Can Register to Donate Multiple Types of Organs and Tissues
During the registration process, you can select which types of organs and/or tissues you are comfortable donating after your death. Choosing to donate one type of organ or tissue does not mean your other organs will be donated against your will.
11. You Can Transform Multiple Lives With a Single Donation
A single organ donor can make a huge difference to multiple recipients’ lives, as well as their families and loved ones.
12. Paediatric Donations Require Specific Consent
Children aged under 16 years cannot consent to donate their organs. If a child dies, their parents may give their consent for their child’s organs or tissues to be used to save the lives of other babies and children.
13. Some Transmissible Diseases Prevent You From Becoming an Organ Donor
You do not need to be in perfect physical health to become an organ donor. However, being positive for some transmissible diseases, such as HIV, does mean you can’t register to donate your organs.
14. Registering as an Organ Donor Doesn’t Mean Your Organs Will Be Used for Research
When you register as an organ donor, you are specifically agreeing for your organs to be transplanted to someone who needs them. Your organs will never be used for medical research unless your explicit permission has been given.
15. Living Donations Save Multiple Lives and Can Have Better Outcomes
Living donations are rarer than deceased organ donations. They most commonly involve a person donating a kidney to a closer relative or friend. Living donors can also donate part of their liver to another person. Living donations can save the recipient’s life and the life of the next person on the deceased organ donation waiting list. Living donations can have better outcomes for the recipient’s quality of life. This is because the organ transplant happens sooner and often lead to better quality organs and tissues, often producing a more successful transplant.
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