Organ & Tissue Donation

Charles de Lint, the award winning author wrote, “Every time you do a good deed you shine the light a little farther into the dark. And the thing is, when you're gone that light is going to keep shining on, pushing the shadows back.”

Many of us want to be remembered not only for the person we were, and who we loved, but for the good deeds we’ve done for others. And today, through organ and tissue donation, it’s possible to do very good things for total strangers.

Without doubt, there are many opportunities to give of oneself after death. According to the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, more than 114,000 people are waiting for organ transplants in the United States. Sadly, in 2011, a total of 6,669 patients died while waiting for organ transplants. On average, 18 people died each day because of the shortage of donated organs.
The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation is not only at the core of organ transplantation, but also at the core of a growing phenomenon: tissue transplantation. Fast becoming a routine part of patient care in virtually every hospital and in many doctor's offices across the country, tissue transplantation could not occur without the kind and charitable donations of others.

“These tissue transplants often save limbs from being amputated,” shares the website The Gift of a Lifetime,“and give sight to the blind. They also allow recipients to walk without pain, lift up a young child, or perform other routine activities that most people take for granted.”
organ and tissue donation in Chambersburg PA

Pennsylvania Organ and Tissue Donation

Many different parts of the body can be donated to save or enhance the lives of others. After a person has passed away, there is a limited window of time to remove organs or tissue from the body. For most donations, they must be removed within 12-24 hours following death. Some donations such as a cornea donation have an even shorter window and must be removed in under 12 hours.

You may select to only donate certain parts of your body or donate everything you can. Organ donation can include kidneys, pancreas, lungs, heart and intestinal organs. Tissue donation such as skin, bone and heart valves may also be donated to save lives or dramatically improve the quality of life for some recipients.

The matter in which you die may impact what organs are eligible for donation. The two types of death that determine eligibility are brain death and circulatory death. Brain death is the more favorable of the two options as it allows more organs to be eligible for donation. When someone dies from brain death, they are often hooked up to machines that keep their organs functioning and circulating blood. With this cause of death, many of the deceased’s organs can be removed and donated.

The second type of death is circulatory death. This type of death often decreases the number of organs that are eligible for donation. Circulatory death results in blood no longer circulating through the body. This causes the internal organs to deteriorate more quickly due to the lack of blood flow. Although circulatory death limits the organs available for donation, tissue donation is still possible.

If you would like to learn more about organ donation in Pennsylvania, please visit the website for the Donate Life Pennsylvania. This non-profit organization is dedicated to educating the public about organ donation and increasing donor registration.

Interested in Becoming a Donor?

If becoming an organ and tissue donor appeals to you, or to a loved one; please call us at (717) 264-6416. We will be delighted to explore existing organ donation options, and will do our best to answer any questions or address any concerns you may have about organ and tissue donation.
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