National Donor Sabbath
November 13-15, 2015
Frequently Asked Questions, Talking Points and Statistics
What is National Donor Sabbath?
National Donor Sabbath is observed annually on Friday through Sunday two weekends
before Thanksgiving. During National Donor Sabbath, faith leaders, donor families,
transplant recipients, and donation and transplantation professionals participate in
services and programs to spread the lifesaving and healing message of donation and
encourage people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.
What are the benefits of being an organ, eye and tissue donor?
 Registering your decision to be a donor relieves your family from the burden of
making this important decision on your behalf during a time of trauma and loss.
 Knowing that you can give someone else a chance to live a healthy productive life is
the greatest gift of all.
 A single donor can save or heal the lives of more than 50 people.
 Donation is a consolation to the donor family in knowing that their loved one helped
to save and heal the lives of others.
Is there a cost to the donor?
 There is no cost to the donor’s family or estate.
Am I too old or sick to be a donor?
 Anyone can be a potential donor, regardless of age or medical history.
Does my place of worship support organ, eye and tissue donation?
 All major religions support organ, eye and tissue donation as one of the highest
expressions of compassion and generosity.
Will I be able to have an open casket funeral if I donate?
 An open casket funeral is possible for organ, eye and tissue donors.
How can I become an organ, eye and tissue donor?
 Sign up in your state donor registry. For instructions, visit
www.DonateLife.net/register-now and click on your state.

Always remember: it is important to tell your family members that you have decided
to sign up as a donor so that they can support your decision.
What can I do to increase organ, eye and tissue donation in my community?
 Tell your family and friends about your decision to Donate Life. Ask them to get the
facts, and consider registering as donors.
 Go to www.DonateLife.net for tips and tools for educating members of your
community about the lifesaving gift of organ, eye and tissue donation.
General Donation and Transplantation Statistics

More than 29,500 patients began new lives in 2014 thanks to organ transplants
(about 81 every day).
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Nearly 124,000 people in the U.S. are currently waiting for an organ transplant.
More than 1,200 of them are 10 years old or younger.

Nearly 60% of patients awaiting lifesaving transplants are minorities.

On average, 150 people are added to the nation’s organ transplant waiting list each
day—one every 10 minutes.

Sadly, on average, 22 people die each day because the organs they need are not
donated in time.
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
A living donor can save a life by donating a kidney or a portion of their liver, lung,
pancreas or intestine.

More than one third of all deceased donors are age 50 or older; more than 7% are
age 65 or older.
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
Each year, there are approximately 30,000 tissue donors and more than 1 million
tissue transplants performed and the surgical need for tissue is rising steadily.

A single tissue donor can save or heal up to 50 people.
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
Nearly 50,000 patients have their sight restored through corneal transplants each
year.
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
More than 127 million people, approximately 51% of the U.S. adult population, are
registered organ, eye and tissue donors.

To register as a lifesaving and healing donor, visit www.donatelife.net.
Statistics from Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network as of August 10, 2015