In the News

The truth is that doctors, nurses and
paramedics will do everything that they can
to save your life. ... No organs will be r
ecovered until brain death has occurred.
Brain death is the complete and irreversible
cessation of all brain function.
donor, the doctors won’t try to
save my life.
TRUTH: The truth is that doctors,
nurses and paramedics will do everything
that they can to save your
life. In fact, an individual must be in
a hospital, on a ventilator and pronounced
dead in order to donate
organs. An Organ Procurement Organization
is not notified until all
life-saving efforts have failed.
MYTH: If I’m a donor my organs
may be removed before I’m really
dead.
TRUTH: No organs will be recovered
until death has occurred.
Brain death is the complete and
irreversible cessation of all brain
function. It can occur following a
catastrophic brain injury such as
a cerebral hemorrhage or trauma
to the head. In such cases, the
heart and lungs can continue to
function temporarily with artificial
respiratory support, allowing the
organs to remain viable for donation.
Standards for the determination
of brain death are very strict,
and death based on the absence
of brain function is legally recognized
in every state as an accepted
medical and ethical principle.
MYTH: Organs can be bought and
sold on the black market.
TRUTH: These stories are untrue
and have become harmful urban
myths. Due to the complexity of
transplantation, the necessity of
involvement from highly trained
medical professionals, the process
of matching donors with recipients,
the need for modern medical
facilities and the support necessary
for transplantation make
it impossible for this to actually
happen. The buying and selling
of organs and tissues is illegal,
as stated in the National Organ
Transplant Act.
When receiving or renewing a
state driver’s license in Connecticut
or Massachusetts, people have
the opportunity to register as an
organ and tissue donor. All New
England residents can also register
to donate at www.DonateLife
NewEngland.org.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is
the federally designated, non-profit
organ procurement organization
(OPO) for six counties in Connecticut
and three counties in Western
Massachusetts with a combined
population of 2.3 million people.
The OPO serves 23 acute care
hospitals for organ and tissue donation
and two organ transplant
hospitals, Hartford Hospital in
Hartford, CT and Baystate Medical
Center in Springfield, MA.
LifeChoice Donor Services is a
member in good standing of the
United Network of Organ Sharing
(UNOS) and the Association of Organ
Procurement Organizations
(AOPO).
For more information about
LifeChoice and to join the Donor
Registry, visit www.lifechoiceopo.
org or call 1-800-874-5215.
In The News 35