Imagine being one of the 100,000 people in the United States on the national organ transplant waitlist, anxiously awaiting the call to inform you that a stranger has made a selfless decision to donate and save your life.

Despite these high stakes, misconceptions often cloud public perception about donation. These myths can hinder informed decision-making and lead individuals to say “no” to donation because of false information. Combating these widespread myths and debunking them with facts is critical if we are to build a culture where the decision to donate is considered a fundamental human responsibility that we all can embrace.

April is National Donate Life Month, an important time to celebrate and remember the thousands of organ donors across the country and throughout New England who have made so many life-saving transplants possible. During this month, we at New England Donor Services take special care to build awareness and educate the community about donation and dispel the falsehoods that can stand in the way of the gift of life.

Myth #1  “Lots of people die every day, so there should be plenty of organ donors. I’ll let someone else donate.” 

Fact:  Only about 1% of U.S. deaths meet the strict criteria for organ donation – typically involving a devastating brain injury and a declaration of death in a hospital ICU while on ventilator support. The individual must also be free of infection and certain cancers and have good organ function. Because donation opportunities are so rare, every “yes” is vital.

Myth #2  “If doctors know I am a registered donor, they won’t try as hard to save me.”

Fact: The reality is that a patient’s donor registration status is never considered by medical professionals when trying to save their life. Their focus is to provide the best possible care to a patient. Because patients must be ventilated, stabilized and in a hospital ICU at the time of death to be considered for organ donation, any medical professional who does not appropriately treat a patient to the fullest extent possible prior to their death would actually put the opportunity for donation at risk. 

Myth #3  “I’m too old or have too many medical problems to be an organ donor.”

Fact: Each potential donor is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. When someone dies in a hospital on a ventilator, medical professionals will factor in the overall health of organs, medical history and the specific needs of the possible transplant recipient. Except for certain cancers, there are no automatic disqualifying health conditions or age for donation. Individuals with chronic illnesses or of advanced age routinely become organ donors and save the lives of others. 

Myth #4  “Only the rich and famous can get an organ transplant.”

Fact: Last year, there were more than 41,000 transplants in the United States resulting from deceased individuals who became donors, the 14th record year for donation and transplants in a row.  More than half of recipients had public insurance like Medicare or Medicaid, and over 50% were non-white, representing a wide range of races and ethnicities. The national organ allocation system uses a computerized program that matches organs based on medical need, time spent waiting, blood type, body size and distance from the donor – not fame or finances.

Being well informed of the facts of how donation and transplant occurs is a necessary first step in making the decision to donate life. Unlike other aspects of health care, community participation is required to make transplantation a reality; transplants can occur only when someone says yes to donation. It is easy to register your decision to be a donor either through a state driver’s license renewal process, the Apple iPhone health app or at www.RegisterMe.org and soon through the “MyChart” patient portal used by 180 million Americans. The old saying still holds true, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” 

Alex Glazier is president & CEO of New England Donor Services, a leading nonprofit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation across Rhode Island and New England, and an associate professor at Brown University’s School of Public Health.