Making Connections
At any time in the United States, about 63,000 children and adults are waiting for a heart, kidney, liver, lung or pancreas transplant. Each year, about 5,000 organ donations are made.
Donations must come from a person who has been declared brain-dead, which limits the potential pool of donors. Even so, about half the families who are approached to consent to an organ donation decline, according to Leslie Shay, spokeswoman for the Regional Organ Procurement Agency.
People who wish to become an organ donor are urged to discuss their wishes with their family. California has no formal registry.
For more information about becoming an organ donor or to better understand organ donation, call the Regional Organ Procurement Agency at (800) 933-0440.
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