Organ donation refers to the voluntary giving of a tissue or organ from one human body to another. The recipient of the organ donation is typically in need of transplantation of a specific organ from a living or dead person.  His/her medical condition may not improve without such a transplant or he/she may also die if no matching organ donor is found.  Over the years, more and more people have become aware of the benefits of organ donation and have enlisted themselves as possible donors.  The following are facts related to organ donation:

Fact 1:  Organ donation may proceed even without family consent.  In some areas or countries, the only requirement for organ donation is the person’s voluntary enlistment to a donor registry or if his/her driver’s license indicates his/her organ donor status.

Fact 2:  There is no age limit for organ donation. Some people think that being mature and old does not qualify them for organ donation. The truth of the matter is that one’s medical condition upon death is the determining factor if he/she can actually donate his/her organs.  A person’s medical history is also taken into consideration more than just the age.

Fact 3: There is no cost involved for the organ donor’s family or next of kin.  This might worry some people but all costs involving organ donation are shouldered by the corresponding health agencies and none of it will be charged to the donor’s family members.

Fact 4:  On the organ donation waiting list in the US, most are waiting for kidney transplants and replacements.  In a 2013 study, 100,000 people out 125,000 people in the waiting list are hoping to get new or replacement kidneys.

Fact 5:  Female living donors outnumber their male counterparts with a ratio of about 3 to 1.  This is based on a 2013 statistics of all organ donations in the US.

Fact 6:  Brothers and sisters comprise the largest contributors of organs among living donors.  This simply means that an organ from a sibling will result to a probable match for transplantation. Children of parents and spouses are also among the groups that have high representation among living donors.

Fact 7:  21 people die every single day while waiting for their own organ donations.  About half of these 21 people need kidney transplants while up to 3000 names are added on the waiting list every day for similar kidney conditions.

Fact 8:  Almost all major religions in the world support organ donation.  This simply translates to more people having access to the medical benefits of organ donation.

Fact 9:  The success rate of organ transplantation is said to increase when the donor and recipient of the organ have the same ethnic background.  This simply pertains to the higher chances of transplantation success with genes that are similar in terms of ethnicity.

 Fact 10:  Caucasians or white people constitute 70% of total organ donors.  This can be attributed to the high awareness among industrialized countries where majority belong to the white race.  Most industrialized nations are the only nations wherein organ transplantation is medically possible.