Planning to visit funeral homes Glenview, IL, can make you think about donating organs after your death. You can donate multiple organs and can help different people get a new life. No one will obtain your organs without the consent of you and your family.

Many people want to donate organs but don’t know the exact procedure of how to get on the organ donor list. This article will explain the step-by-step procedure of the organ donation process in America.

Who can Donate?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, anyone above the age of 18 who wishes to donate his/her organs after death can. You can decide which organ/s you want to donate, be it liver, eyes, kidney, etc. However, you can change your wishes at any time.

People With a Health condition

If anyone has any medical complications, they can still register for organ donation. Upon death, a team of doctors will examine their organs and decide whether or not they for the criteria for donation. A few extreme conditions such as active cancer bar one from becoming a donor.

Now, let us discuss the complete process of organ donation.

• Registering as a Donor

First, you have to register yourself as a donor. By signing up, you provide consent to donate your organs and it happens many years before one’s death. You can register yourself here.

Just registering yourself doesn’t guarantee that you will be an organ donor – but it is the first step.

To be a deceased donor, a person has to die in regular circumstances. Anyone who dies in an accident or of a severe illness that causes damage to his organs is not considered a donor. That’s why tens of thousands of Americans apply for organ donation but only a few qualify to donate organs after death.

• The Organ Procurement Organization (OPO)

When any person dies or is near death in a hospital, the clinic gives information to the local Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) – compliant with federal regulations. The OPO confirms whether or not the person is on the organ donation list. If he/she is, the department sends a representative to the hospital to gather further details and complete the procedure.

• Authorizing Donation

After reaching the hospital, the OPO representative confirms the donor details of the deceased – as per the legal guidelines. If the deceased isn’t registered, the representative will contact his/her family and ask for their consent.

In case of a positive response, the complete medical and social history of the departed is gathered and a thorough medical evaluation of his/her organs occurs to assess if they are eligible for a transplant or not.

• The Matching Process

After that, the OPO notifies the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). It contains all the information of the US patients awaiting transplants and starts matching the deceased organs with the potential recipients.

• Recovering and Transporting Organs

During the research of recipients, the donor’s organs are preserved on artificial support. Again, the condition of each organ is evaluated and monitored carefully by the staff.

• Transplanting the Organs

Lastly, when the OPTN finds the recipients, the transport team brings the organs to the hospital where the patient is already waiting for the transplant operation.

Preparing for death is never easy. But the process of searching for funeral homes Glenview, IL, may be eased if you know that you’re helping someone else.