ORGAN DONATION

April 2001
		What does it mean to be an organ donor? Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu responds to your questions and comments.

Forum introduction How old is too old to be a donor? How do I find out about a specific donation? Can I be a living donor? What are the costs incurred by the family? I wish someone had asked me. Is it dangerous to be an organ donor? A message from a recipient Online Special: Organ Donation Return to the NewsHour's coverage of health	Marian Moore of Winnetka, Il asks: My husband died a year ago and now I realize that nothing was ever said at the hospital about donating his organs. He had signed up for organ donation--as had I--but in the emotional moment of his death I never thought about it. Neither the hospital nor the doctor mentioned it. As I think back, no one ever mentioned it when my Mother and Father died either. It obviously was up to me in all three instances but the circumstances were so emotional it never entered my mind. Should not the hospital or doctors say something? How can this be corrected? I can't be the only one. Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu responds: Your story reflects the unfortunate outcome of perhaps otherwise well-meaning people, who did not want to approach you during your immediate loss. I have met several families like yours, who were never asked to donate their loved one's organs and tissues, and like you, feel that they lost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give life to others. We need to increase organ donation awareness among all segments of our society, including health professionals. Since late 1998, a new regulation, the Medicare Conditions of Participation, requires all hospitals receiving Medicare funds, to report all deaths to their respective organ procurement organizations, to assure that everyone does have the opportunity to choose donation.