UNDERSTANDING DONATION

Save Lives through Organ and Tissue Donation

The donation process begins when someone registers their decision to save lives. It is easy to register as a donor in Louisiana:

  • At the Office of Motor Vehicles or Public Tag Agency when getting a driver’s license or ID card

  • Through the Louisiana Donor Registry

  • Through LA Wallet App

The next step is notifying family members or next of kin of your decision to be a donor. In addition to helping ensure that your decision is honored, telling your family and friends also takes the pressure off of them to make a decision during a stressful and emotional time. 

Louisiana Donor Registry

Register in less than 5 minutes.

Register Now

DONATION FACTS

  • Donation will only take place after all efforts to save someone’s life are exhausted.

  • Any costs associated with donation will not be passed to you or your family.

  • Donation does not disfigure the body or interfere with open casket funeral arrangements.

  • Throughout the entire donation process, your loved one is treated with the utmost respect and dignity.

  • Anyone can be a potential donor, regardless of age, race, medical history or HIV status.

  • All major religions support organ, tissue and eye donation and see it as a final act of love and generosity towards others.

  • Individuals awaiting an organ transplant are prioritized by medical urgency, time on the waiting list and geographic location.

  • The waiting list does not reference race, gender, age or social status.

THE GIFTS OF DONATION

Organ and Tissue Donation & Research

Living Donation, Bone Marrow and Blood

Donation can save and enhance lives in a variety of ways. Most notable are organs that are transplanted into very sick people--giving them a second chance at life. Organs that can be donated are: heart, lungs, liver/hepatocytes, pancreas/islet cells, kidneys, and intestines. Yet, people suffering with more common ailments such as sports injuries, eye diseases such as glaucoma, and clogged veins can be treated with donated tissues. Burn victims and those with severe wounds also benefit from tissue donation. 

“WE ARE FAMILY. “

--Nicholas’ mother, Maria Clark with her son’s heart recipient, Jean Paul Marceaux