You Can Change and Save Lives Through Organ Donation

Heroes save lives, but they don’t all wear capes. Many of them donate their eyes, organs and tissues at death.  

During National Donate Life Month this April, consider being someone’s hero as an organ donor.  

Why Organ Donation Matters 

According to the Health Resources & Services Administration, more than 100,000 Americans are on the organ transplant list, and a new person joins it every eight minutes. By signing up to donate your organs, you can save as many as eight lives and improve more than 75 others. 

Organs and other body parts you can donate after death include: 

Sign Up to Donate Your Organs 

In 2024, the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network reported that more than 16,000 Americans donated organs after death. This outpaced all other years on record, but more donors are needed.  

By signing up today to donate your tissues, organs and more, you help people in need tomorrow. To register as an organ donor, you must be at least 18 years old or have your parents’ permission. There is no upper age limit, and some organ donors have been in their 90s. 

Signing up is easy. 

After you complete these steps, you’re on the Donate Life America registry. If your information changes, you can log into your account to update it.  

You should also discuss your wishes with your family and note your donor plans in your will to eliminate any uncertainty for your family.  

You Don’t Have to Wait: Donate Now 

Want to become a hero now? By becoming a living donor, you can. At Weill Cornell Medicine, our Living Donor Kidney Center allows you to donate your kidney to someone in need.  

“We know from many years of practice that a normal human being can live perfectly well on just one kidney and have a completely normal life,” says Dr. Sandip Kapur, chief of transplantation at Weill Cornell Medicine. “That’s what allows us to perform this operation.” 

Prior to a living donation at the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation, you undergo what Dr. Kapur calls “the best medical evaluation of your life.” This helps ensure your donation doesn’t threaten your good health. The donor team evaluates your short- and long-term medical risk and provides a comprehensive social evaluation. They provide expansive education to help you understand what will take place and how your gift may affect your future.  

Both surgeries then take place on the same day. The surgeon removes a kidney from you, the donor, and immediately transplants it to the recipient.  

“We practice living donation in a very comprehensive way and are very protective of the donor,” Dr. Kapur says. “That’s the main reason it’s succeeded so well over the years, and that’s what makes it such a viable option in transplantation today.” 

Whether you want to donate your organs or need a donation, find a doctor at Weill Cornell Medicine who can help.