Your family will be asked for their consent to donate your organs and tissues, so make sure you tell them what organs or tissues you would want to donate. In our experience, families very rarely overrule the wishes of their deceased family member, especially when their wishes are known.
When you apply for, or renew, your driver's licence, you can indicate if you would like to be a donor and have this printed on your licence. However this is not an official organ donation register, you still need to have a conversation with your family about your wishes.
Visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for more answers to commonly asked questions about donation. Have the conversation today. Everything you need to know about donation Learn more about the process of organ and tissue donation in New Zealand. Who can donate? What happens? Who gives permission? How do I register to be an organ or tissue donor? Discussion about donation Some time after the family has been told that their loved one has died, the intensive care doctor will discuss donation with the family.
Organ donation operation The surgical teams travel to the hospital where the patient is being cared for. After the donation The family may spend time with their loved one, if they wish, following the donation. Support for donor families The donor co-ordinator provides information and support to the family of the donor and will often meet the family prior to the donation. Did you know? Eye tissue transplants can prevent blindness and restore sight to people with disease, trauma or infection to their cornea the transparent layer at the front of the eye Find out more Did you know?
In there were 74 people who donated organs following death in NZ. Find out more Did you know? Along with donating your organs, you can donate your eyes, heart valve tissue and skin. Find out more. Share this story. Have the conversation today Have you talked about organ donation with your loved ones?
This is mainly because of the lack of available donors. This means a transplant will only be carried out if it's thought there's a relatively good chance of it being successful. For example, a lung transplant would not be recommended for someone with lung cancer because the cancer could come back in the donated lungs. It's possible for a person to receive a lung transplant from living donors 2 living donors are usually required for 1 recipient.
During this type of lung transplant, the lower lobe of the right lung is removed from 1 donor and the lower lobe of the left lung is removed from the other donor. Both lungs are removed from the recipient and replaced with the lung implants from the donors in a single operation.
Most people who receive lung transplants from living donors have cystic fibrosis and are close relatives of the donors. The recipient and donors need to be compatible in size and have matching blood groups. Before being placed on the transplant list you'll need to have some tests to make sure your other major organs, such as your heart, kidneys and liver, will function properly after the transplant.
You may also need to make lifestyle changes, such as giving up smoking and losing weight if you're overweight, so you're as healthy as possible when it's time for the transplant to take place.
Find out more about preparing for a lung transplant. A lung transplant usually takes between 4 and 12 hours to complete, depending on the complexity of the operation. Depending on your individual circumstances, you may be connected to a heart and lung bypass machine to keep your blood circulating during the operation.
The donated lungs will then be connected to the relevant airways and blood vessels, and the chest will be closed. Find out more about how a lung transplant is performed. After the transplant, routine visits begin weekly to monitor you and your new lungs and are spaced out over time. Your family and friends can help you get to all your appointments and help you stay focused throughout the process on your shared goal of improving your lung health. For Randy Cooke , an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patient and double lung transplant recipient, having a great support team is a must.
This is a battle you cannot do on your own. The more, the better. It's overwhelming to just one person. I know it took a toll on my wife and kids.
I believe it was easier on me then it was on them! The stronger you are, the faster you will recover. While every patient's recovery time is unique, being physically healthy enough to undergo a transplant is a key factor.
Often patients preparing for transplant have either been living with a chronic condition for quite some time or have been diagnosed with a serious illness. Blanton recommends connecting with your support network e. Transplant requires close follow-up and it can take time to return to your normal day-to-day activities," she says. Tap into what brings you joy.
Listening to certain music, watching your favorite movie, folding laundry. Set up your environment pre-surgery to make it easy for you to access the things you enjoy doing. You can visit our Support and Community section to find in-person support groups, join online communities and talk with Lung HelpLine counselors.
When you're on a waiting list, you need to make sure you are close to the transplant center and always available. You never know when you might get a call and your transplant surgeons have only about hours to complete the transplant operation after the donor lungs are procured. After your transplant, you'll need to stay nearby for a while.
Initially, after the operation, most centers will want you to be less than an hour away as visits are frequent," says Dr.
During this time, they will help you identify a provider network closer to your home to collaborate on the longer-term care needed to maintain good function of your new lungs.
Not all donor lungs are suitable for transplantation, and right now, only about 28 percent of donor lungs meet the criteria needed to be used for a transplant. The good news is that researchers are investigating ways to increase the pool of donor lungs.
Meanwhile, registering to be an organ donor and encouraging family and friends to do the same is an important step to bridge the gap and save lives.
Anyone can sign up to be an organ donor.
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