WHO CAN BE AN ORGAN DONOR?
Organ donors range in age from newborn to seniors. Most organ donors are victims of accidents that have caused fatal head injuries. These include automobile accidents, drowning, smoke inhalation, gun shot wounds and brain bleeds from a stroke or sudden trauma to the head. Organ donors are individuals who have been declared “brain dead” and who are on a machine called a “ventilator” that breathes for them because their brain can no longer send signals to their body to breathe.
Any individual of any age, gender or religion can be an organ donor. The decision to retrieve the organs will be based on the health of the organs. The close relative of the brain dead can give the consent for organ donation if the deceased has not made a will. It is possible that even if you have given the consent but you may not be suitable for transplant. The success of transplantation has given people the chance not only of survival but renewed quality of life. It is well recognized that it is only through the generosity of individuals and their families that transplantation is made possible.
