FACTS

DONATION FAST FACTS

30 SECONDS

It takes less time to sign up to be an organ donor than it does for a driver to complete a qualifying attempt at a dirt track.

8 MINUTES

In the time it takes to run a heat race at a dirt track, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list.

100,000 PEOPLE

More than 100,000 people nationwide are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. That’s enough people to circle the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway almost 10 times.

83 LIVES

One donor can save and heal 83 lives, this is more than one season of NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula 1 races combined.

16 PEOPLE

Each day in the U.S., approximately 16 people die because the organ they needed didn’t become available in time. That’s equivalent to more than the first five rows of cars in the Indy 500 starting lineup.

FAQs

Why is it important to consider organ and tissue donation?

More than 1,000 Hoosiers are among over 100,000 Americans waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. In the U.S., another person is added to the transplant waiting list every nine minutes. Each day, 16 people die because a donated organ wasn’t available in time.
Who can sign up to be a donor?

Anyone can sign up to become an organ and tissue donor. No one should ever rule themselves out as a donor due to age or medical condition. A physician team, separate from the one providing lifesaving treatment, will determine prior to the time of death what organs and tissues one can donate.
What organs and tissues can be donated?

Can my organs be taken if I am in a coma?

No. Being in a coma and being brain dead are different. Patients can recover from comas. Brain death is declared when a patient has no brain activity and cannot breathe on his or her own. Brain death is irreversible. To be declared brain dead, the patient must undergo a series of tests to confirm brain death. Only after being declared brain dead can the process for organ donation begin.
How are organs distributed to patients waiting for transplants?

Each patient waiting for an organ transplant is listed with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the agency responsible for how donated organs are distributed. Once identified, a donor’s blood and tissue type, body weight, size and other factors are matched with the list of patients currently waiting for transplant. In addition, the recipient’s severity of illness and time on the waiting list are factored into the matching process.
Can organs be sold?

How long must a patient wait for a transplant?

The time a patient spends on the national transplant waiting list for an organ can vary from a few days to several years. The length of a patient’s wait is affected by several factors, including the urgency of his or her medical condition and the availability of donated organs.
If doctors see I’m a donor, will they try to save my life?
Is race considered in the organ matching process?

Do donated organs only go to people who don’t take care of their own organs?
Is the Identity of recipients revealed to the donor family?

The identity of both the donor and the recipient is confidential. Indiana Donor Network will provide the donor’s family with basic information about the recipients, such as age and gender. Some donor family members and recipients choose to communicate anonymously and Indiana Donor Network facilitates this process. If both the donor family and recipient elect in writing to meet each other, Indiana Donor Network can facilitate this meeting.
Will my family be charged for the donation?

Will donation interfere with funeral arrangements or change my appearance?

An open-casket funeral is possible for organ and tissue donors and Indiana Donor Network works directly with funeral directors across the state to ensure that families needs are met. Through the entire donation process, the donor is treated with care, respect and dignity.
How do I sign up to be an organ and tissue donor?
Can my family override my decision?

To learn more about donation and transplantation, please visit DonateLifeIndiana.org.