Living donation
Living organ donation dates back to 1954, when a kidney from one twin was successfully transplanted into his identical brother. Today, there are more than 6,000 living organ donors per year.
As an organ procurement organization (OPO), LifeGift is responsible for the coordination of deceased organ recovery and transplantation; however, we play a role in living donation by being involved in the packaging and transportation of living donor kidneys. LifeGift is spearheading the Living Donor Collaborative, a collective effort among transplant centers to facilitate more living donor chains and kidney paired donations.
Why is living donation so important?
Across the country, more than 100,000 men, women and children are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Eighty-six percent of these individuals are waiting for a kidney:
- 103,470 waiting in the U.S.*
- 9,968 waiting in Texas*
Living organ donation is another way to help individuals awaiting transplantation and increases the opportunity to save more lives. LifeGift encourages anyone to register as a donor via the Donate Life Texas Registry at www.donatelifetexas.org or at any Department of Public Safety office when obtaining or renewing a driver license or ID.
Every day in this country, 17 people die waiting for an organ. Every type of donation is essential to decreasing the number of deaths on the national waiting list. For more information about living donation, please visit The Living Bank.
*Accurate as of 8/21/2023