The Importance of Organ Donation Across all Communities

a little bit ago | Kristin Eggebraaten | @keggebraaten

August is more than just a month – it’s a celebration of life, unity, and hope. National Minority Donor Awareness Month honors the incredible gift of organ, eye, and tissue donation, while spotlighting the urgent need to improve transplant access for communities of color. It’s a time to recognize the power of giving and the lives that can be saved when we come together across cultures, communities, and backgrounds.

Race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or gender expression, income, celebrity and social status are never part of the consideration when it comes to matching donor organs and tissues for transplantation. Organs are matched with people on the national transplant waiting list based on blood type, body size, how sick they are, donor distance, tissue type and time on the waiting list. (Source: Donate Life America.)

While organs aren't directly matched by race or ethnicity, a greater diversity in the donor pool can increase the likelihood of finding compatible matches, especially for those with rare blood types or tissue markers. The chance of longer-term survival may be improved if the donor and recipient are closely matched in terms of their shared genetic background.

Nearly 60% of people on transplant waiting lists come from minority communities, while about 30% of donors are people of color. This is partly due to the higher rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes that are present in minority communities, contributing to more organ failures.

When deciding to sign up for organ donation, it’s important to know the facts:

FACT: You can sign up to be an organ donor by visiting registerme.org.

FACT: People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors and shouldn’t hesitate to sign up. Doctors will determine which organs you can donate at the time of your death.

FACT: Most major faiths accept organ donation. These include Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, most branches of Judaism and most Protestant faiths. If you don't know where your faith stands on organ donation, ask a member of your clergy.

FACT: Donors are needed for all races and ethnic groups. Transplant success rates increase when organs are matched between members of the same ethnic background.

FACT: There is no cost to the donor’s family or estate for organ and tissue donation.

FACT: Information about an organ donor is only released to the recipient if the family of the donor requests or agrees to it. Otherwise, a patient’s privacy is maintained for both donor families and recipients.

In most states, signing up to be a donor after death can be done online or when registering for a driver's license or identification card. For a living donation, contact the recipient's care team or a transplant center for more information. For living kidney or liver donation at Mayo Clinic, visit our webpage.

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