About Donation
Organ donations save lives
The need for organs and tissue for transplants far outweighs the available supply. Becoming an organ or tissue donor is one way you can help alleviate this need, and it may be a decision that’s right for you. There are two ways to donate: living donation and deceased donation. Before any choice is made, it's important to talk to your family about your decision to donate.
Saskatchewan has launched an Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. Visit www.givelifesask.ca to register your decision. It's crucial you have this conversation with family because their consent will be required.
Steps you can take today
Take these steps to become a donor:
- Visit www.givelifesask.ca to register your decision.
- Talk to your family about your decision to be a donor, so they can support your wishes.
Living donation
You can be a living donor by providing a non-vital organ or tissue to a family member or another person in need.
Living donation includes:
- Amniotic membrane - Donated after elective C-section deliveries, it is used in a number of eye surgery procedures.
- Bone - Most donated bone comes from hip replacement surgeries. Many surgical procedures require bone grafts. Bone aids in healing and strengthens and improves function.
- A Kidney - About 40-50 per cent of kidney transplants in Saskatchewan are made possible through living donors.
- Liver - In living-donor transplants, surgeons remove a portion of a donor's liver.
Deceased donation
Deceased donation becomes possible when someone is at the end-of-life and death is imminent. Only a small portion of individuals die in such a way that makes organ donation possible – approximately 5% of all deaths.
Deceased donation includes:
- Bone
- Cornea
- Heart and heart valves
- Lungs
- Liver
- Kidneys
- Pancreas
- Skin
- Tendons and ligaments
Organ and tissue donation is anonymous. However, the Saskatchewan Transplant Program and the SHA Donation Program does offer donors and recipients the opportunity to correspond in writing through de-identified letters delivered and received through the program.