The Donation Process
More than 100,000 men, women and children in the United States, including more than 10,000 in Texas, need an organ transplant to live. In 2023, more than 46,000 organ transplants were performed in the United States, more than in any previous year.
While the number of registered donors is steadily growing, we need more people to register — because the need still far outweighs the number of transplants available each year.
Every 9 minutes, another person is added to the transplant waiting list
On average, 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant
Download the STA Donation Process Guide (PDF)
Frequently Asked Questions About Donation (LINK)
Learn more about how registration works in Texas (LINK)
Read the stories of hope from those impacted by donation.
STA supports the gift of life through every step of the process.
Southwest Transplant Alliance fulfills the gift of life by recovering donated organs and tissues and coordinating the allocation to transplant recipients.
The power of one YES can impact countless lives.
STA’s Role
Southwest Transplant Alliance is one of 56 federally-designated nonprofit organizations tasked with facilitating donation within a designated service area. When a potential donor is identified by a hospital in our service area, STA is notified. The STA team then searches the state registry to determine if the potential donor is registered and evaluates the potential for donation for that patient.
If the potential donor is registered, the family is notified and the donation process can begin. If the potential donor is not registered, the STA Family Care team supports the donor family and consults them regarding possible donation.
STA then manages, alongside the recovery surgeons, the process of recovering and transporting organs and tissue to recipients in need of lifesaving transplants.
Determining who gets a transplant
STA is responsible for the donor care, family support and organ/tissue recovery process. When our teams have obtained authorization and determined what gifts can be donated, a national database produces a list of potential recipients, listed in order of priority.
STA then sends offers to the corresponding transplant centers for those patients. Their teams work with patients to decide whether to accept an offer. STA does not decide who gets a transplant, and order of the list is determined by medical factor match, location, and severity of need.
Living Donation
Thousands of transplants each year are made possible by living donors.
Living donors can donate an entire kidney or a portion of their liver or lung. In rare cases, living donors can donate a portion of their pancreas or intestine.
While STA does not facilitate living donation, those interested can learn more by contacting a transplant program in their area. Learn More >>
Rebekah and Bob Barbour of Dallas celebrate more time together after a kidney transplant saved Bob’s life. Rebekah donated her own kidney to Bob through a living transplant program in 2017.
Facts About Donation
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A person must pass away in a hospital on a ventilator in order for his or her organs to be medically suitable for donation.
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Brain death, due to a stroke or traumatic injury, is often the cause of death that makes someone eligible for organ donation, though this is not always the case. In some instances, organs can be donated after cardiovascular death. Brain death is irreversible and legally-determined death.
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Hospitals are required by federal law to notify the appropriate organ recovery organization of a potential donor. Doctors and other clinical staff do everything possible to save your life. If they don’t, they could lose their license to practice medicine. You will only be considered a potential organ donor after all lifesaving measures have been exhausted.
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Donated organs are matched with recipients based on several medical factors, such as blood type, organ size, severity of need and distance from the recipient’s transplant center. Race, social background, economic status or celebrity status are never considerations in organ transplants.
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After a donor’s organs have been recovered, his or her body is released to a funeral home or mortuary service based on the family’s preferences. In most cases, the full range of funeral services is available after organ donation, including open-casket viewings and cremation. STA will also collaborate with willed body programs if you have registered with them.
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A recent study by STA showed that 94% of adults in our service area support donation. All major religions in the United States support organ and tissue donation and view it as a final act of love and generosity.
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The donor’s family pays for medical care prior to organ and tissue recovery and for funeral expenses. They do not pay any of the costs associated with donation.