| Postmortem Resources for Scleroderma (MAIN MENU) | | | | | |
| Organ Donation |
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| This page was written by Shelley Ensz and has not yet been medically edited. See disclaimer. |
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| Overview of Organ Donation |
| Autopsy and cadaver research are entirely separate from organ donation. |
| If you want to be an organ donor, in most countries it is very important to legally specify that before you die, so there is no question at the time of your death as it can be very difficult for families and loved ones to try to make this decision on your behalf when they are in the worst throes of grief. |
| The organs from a single body, such as heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, etc. can be used to improve, extend, and save the lives of a half-dozen people or so. |
| Organ and tissue donation does not affect the appearance of the body, so an open casket funeral is still an option. |
| Will donation disfigure my body? Can there be an open casket funeral? Donation does not disfigure the body and does not interfere with having a funeral, including open casket services. Donate Life. |
| Organ Transplants for Scleroderma Patients |
| Pulmonary Involvement: Lung Transplant ISN. |
| Renal (Kidney) Involvement ISN. |
| International Organ Donation |
| Who can become an organ donor? The deciding factor on whether a person can donate is the person’s physical condition, not the person’s age. Newborns as well as senior citizens have been organ donors. Medical suitability for donation is determined at the time of death. Disqualifying medical conditions include: active extra cranial malignancy, high risk behavior for HIV transmission, and non-treatable transmissible disease. International Association for Organ Donation. |
| Share Your Life. Make the decision to become an organ and tissue donor, and register. Share Your Decision. Sharing your decision to be an organ and tissue donor is as important as making the decision itself. At the time of your death, your family will be asked about donation. International Association for Organ Donation. |
| Living Donors Online: Living organ donation is now the most common source of organs for those in need of organ transplantion, usually a kidney, bone marrow, and sometimes the portion of a liver. Less common is donation of a portion of a lung or small intestine. International Association of Living Organ Donors, Inc. |
| United States Organ Donation |
| United Network for Organ Sharing. Despite continuing advances in medicine and technology, the demand for organs drastically exceeds the number of organ donors. You can make the difference in someone's life by helping to increase organ donation. Discover the simple things you, your family and your co-workers can do to promote donation and help save lives in your community and at work. United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). |
| Organ Donation. Transplantation saves lives, but only if you help. All you need to do is say yes to organ and tissue donation on your donor card and/or driver's license, sign up on your state’s donor registry (if there is one), and discuss your decision with your family. Each day about 70 people receive an organ transplant, but another 16 people on the waiting list die because not enough organs are available. FirstGov. |
