9 Reasons To Consider Becoming an Organ Donor

“Do you want to be an organ donor?” It can be a disarming question when you aren’t expecting it. But it’s worth giving serious thought. Every eight minutes, a new person joins the national waiting list for an organ transplant, and many end-stage diseases have no other cure. Your gift could, quite literally, save several lives.

In 2025 alone, Cleveland Clinic’s Enterprise Transplant Center staff completed 1,424 transplants. We talked with Transplant Center Director Kenneth McCurry, MD, about what becoming an organ donor means.

Benefits of organ donation

In 2025, a record-breaking 49,000 people donated their organs. Unfortunately, the need for donors is only growing with each passing day. The U.S. transplant waitlist currently has over 103,000 people on it.

Dr. McCurry was an organ donor long before he became a doctor.

“Being a donor became more meaningful to me over the years, as I became interested in medicine and ultimately pursued a career in transplantation,” he relates. “It has an even more significant meaning to me now than it did then, because I see how it helps people.”

If you’re considering registering, keep in mind:

1. One donor can help more than 80 people directly. A single person can donate organs to eight different people — and donate tissues (like eyes, bones, skin and tendons) to another 75.
2. About 13 people on the organ transplant waitlist die every day. A transplant isn’t a cure. But many people who die waiting could have managed their condition successfully if they’d received an organ in time.
3. It helps their loved ones, too. Impressive as it is to help 80 people, your gift also affects recipients’ loved ones. You may even inspire them to become donors, if they aren’t already.
4. Your medical bills are covered. All costs associated with organ transplantation are covered by donor programs and the recipient’s insurance. Not by you or your loved ones.
5. You can donate no matter your age. Age isn’t a barrier to making a difference in someone’s life. In fact, Orville Allen recently broke a U.S. record by donating his liver when he passed away in 2024, at the age of 98. As long as your organs are healthy, they can save someone’s life.
6. Registering is easy. There are lots of different ways to become an organ donor, and the process usually takes fewer than five minutes.
7. Everyone who registers is considered. Not everyone who registers as an organ donor gets to donate, but there are very few health conditions that disqualify you completely. A transplant team will assess you to determine if your organs and tissues are healthy and safe enough to use.
8. It’s supported (and even encouraged) by many world religions, ethnic groups and cultures. If you aren’t sure where yours stands on the topic, ask a trusted leader in your community.
9. Donating can support the grieving process. Death is never easy. But many grieving families find a measure of comfort knowing their loved one’s final act was helping people in need.

Living donation

Dr. McCurry explains that you don’t have to be dead to be an organ donor: Living donation is another way to give the gift of life to a person in need.

“Unfortunately, there’s a far greater need for organ transplantation in the U.S. than we can meet with deceased donation,” he notes. “Living donation is a way to help fill in that gap.”

How is living organ donation possible? Because there are some parts of your anatomy that you can donate without damaging your health. Most people are born with two kidneys, for example, but only need one to function. And your liver can regenerate, meaning you can have a portion removed without losing organ function.

“Living donation is generally quite safe, and donors recover well,” he adds. reports. “There’s a process you go through to ensure you’re healthy enough, can consent and are psychologically prepared to donate. Because of those guardrails, the vast majority of living donors don’t have negative effects.”

There are several types of living organ donation:

• Directed donation: You give your organ to a compatible family member, friend or colleague.
• Altruistic donation: You’re matched with a person in need based on your medical compatibility, so you likely won’t know the person you’re helping. You can donate anonymously if you like.
• Paired donation: Sometimes, you aren’t a match for someone you want to help. But it may be possible to “swap” with another donor in the same situation who is a match. They donate an organ to help your loved one, and you donate an organ to help theirs.

Myths about donation

Deciding whether to become a donor is a deeply personal process — and you deserve to have all the facts. The two biggest misconceptions about organ donation are that healthcare professionals treat donors differently and that donation leads to disfiguration.

Donors don’t get different care

It’s important to be very clear about this: Your care team does not procure your organs for donation. In most cases, they don’t even know your status.

“The transplant teams are not engaged in care at all,” Dr. McCurry reassures. “The team of caregivers treating you is focused solely on saving your life. There’s a very clear line between treating someone, trying to get them better and then — after declaration of death — proceeding with organ donation.”

Donating isn’t disfiguring

If you’re a living donor — or want an open-casket service when you die — it’s understandable to worry that the process might affect your appearance. But Dr. McCurry says that transplant specialists revere donors and make sure they’re handled with honor and dignity.

Final thoughts

Dr. McCurry is no stranger to the difficult conversations that patients and their loved ones sometimes have about organ donation.

“I think it’s really important to think about what being an organ donor means to you,” he advocates. “What are the opportunities? And what would it mean to you — or to your family, after you’re gone — to know you helped others?”

Whatever choice you make, you can feel safe in the knowledge that your providers will respect and fulfill your final wishes.