Organ and Tissue Donation
Organ and tissue donation are vital resources hospitals and facilities
use daily. It is through the generous gift of organ and tissue, that many
individuals can continue their lives, or improve their quality of life.
At present, more than 21,000 California residents are waiting to receive
life-saving hearts, livers, lungs, kidneys, other organs and tissues.
Yet, there are not enough donors to support the need in California. Currently,
over 121,000 individuals are on the national waiting list, while 19 people
die every day waiting for an organ transplant.
Donate Life Month
April is Donate Life Month – a time to celebrate life and recognize
the generosity of those who have saved and enhanced other lives through
organ and tissue donation. This month, Hoag wants for you and your family
to become educated about organ and tissue donation.
California has the largest number of patients on a state wait list for
an organ or tissue donation – more than 21,000 residents are listed
on the United Network for Organ Sharing waiting list. Of those, more than
17,000 are waiting for a kidney, the organ most in demand due to high
rates of hypertension and diabetes. The transplant list has people of
all ages and all backgrounds, among them more than 360 children under
the age of 17.
During Donate Life Month, take the opportunity to learn about the need
in your community, and what this one simple step could mean in the future
for someone else. An organ donor’s last act in this world is to
extend the life of someone else.
Learn more about organ and tissue donation. (link to:
https://register.donatelifecalifornia.org)
Hoag Celebrates Life
Throughout the year, Hoag in collaboration with
OneLegacy, celebrates life with a “Tree of Life” memorial in honor of
its organ donors. Families of organ donors are invited to these special
events, where they are presented with a certificate and a replica of the
leaf bearing the name of their loved one on the Tree of Life.
Installed in 2011, the Tree of Life to provides a place for families to
visit and reflect on the gift of life by loved ones, and to inspire others
to become registered donors.
Hoag also honors their tissue donors with the “Book of Life.”
Throughout the year, Hoag and OneLegacy celebrate and thank the families
of these tissue donors by adding the names of the donors to the Book of
Life, that resides just outside the chapel year round for families, patients
and guests to view. Hoag has the largest number of tissue donors of any
non-trauma hospital in Orange County, with 476 consented donors between
2007 and 2017.
Register as a Donor
At Hoag, we encourage our staff, patients and families to educate themselves
about organ and tissue donation, and consider registering as a donor.
Registration is simple, and can be completed online. To learn more about
organ and tissue donation, please visit
Donate Life California.
Register to be a Donor