Living Donation

The liver is truly the unsung superhero of the human body, largely because it is the only internal organ capable of significant regeneration. This remarkable ability is what makes living donor liver transplantation possible: a donor can give up to 60% of their healthy liver to someone in need, and within just a few months, the remaining portion in the donor and the transplanted segment in the recipient both grow back to full, functional size.

 Beyond this "superpower," living donation offers life-saving benefits, such as significantly shorter wait times and better long-term survival rates for recipients compared to receiving a liver from a deceased donor. Because this procedure can be scheduled electively, it allows both donor and recipient to prepare optimally, turning a daunting medical challenge into an extraordinary, life-affirming act of altruism. The liver of the donor regrows to its original size and will work normally within 6 months.

Paired Kidney Donation – Consists of two donors who are incompatible with their intended recipients. The two recipients swap donors so that each can receive a compatible kidney. Once the evaluations of all donors and recipients are completed, the two donations and transplants are scheduled simultaneously.

Kidney List Donation – A live donor is incompatible with the intended recipient and donates to the waiting list. In return, the intended recipient advances on the waiting list, receiving a kidney much more quickly.

The National Kidney Donation Organization (NKDO) is an organization of Living Donors who help mentor those looking to donate a kidney, as well as helping those who are in need of a kidney transplant. NKDO provides education and information to prospective living kidney donors. If you are interested in learning more about living kidney donation, please visit their website.

Each year, approximately 30,000 patients in the U.S. will be diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, which are treatable by a marrow or stem cell transplant. Just one in three will find a donor match within their family. If you would like to help, join the National Marrow Donor Program Registry — all it takes is a simple blood test. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good general health can join the registry. 

Birth tissue donation is a life-giving act that begins at birth. After a healthy delivery, the placenta, umbilical cord, and amniotic membrane (tissues that are typically discarded) can be donated to help heal others. These remarkable tissues are rich in growth factors, stem cells, and structural proteins that make them invaluable in modern medicine.

Donated birth tissue is used in a wide range of treatments, including wound care, treatment of chronic or severe burns, eye surgeries, orthopedic repairs, and nerve regeneration. As an expectant mother, the process of donation is completely safe, painless, and has no impact on your birth plan or the health of you or your baby.

One gift of birth tissue alone can help dozens of patients. By simply saying yes at birth, you and your baby have the opportunity to transform a moment of new life into a gift of healing for many others. If you are interested in making an impact through donation, DonorConnect has its very own birth tissue program. Sign up today and let the gift of healing begin.

With each pint of donated blood, the donor can help save the lives of as many as three critically ill or injured people. 
The American Red Cross hosts eleven mobile blood drives across the state each business day, as well as maintaining donor centers in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Orem, and St. George. Donation hours vary by location. Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE for more information

Your local, independent blood center proudly serving:

Primary Children’s Medical Center
University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics
Shriner’s Hospital for Children
Huntsman Cancer Institute
There are more than 40 hospitals in Utah, but these four alone use around 25-percent of the blood in the state. ARUP serves the only two children’s hospitals in Utah, and blood for babies must be less than five days old. This creates an ongoing need for fresh blood every day of the year.