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Organ donations: What to know and how to help in Butler County

Kaylie Jackson, of Monroe, died after a single-vehicle car crash in April 2018 on the way to the Monroe High School prom. She was also an organ donor and helped save six lives, and improved the health and lives of dozens more with skin and tissue donations. PROVIDED/AMANDA GARCIA

Credit: Provided

Credit: Provided

Kaylie Jackson, of Monroe, died after a single-vehicle car crash in April 2018 on the way to the Monroe High School prom. She was also an organ donor and helped save six lives, and improved the health and lives of dozens more with skin and tissue donations. PROVIDED/AMANDA GARCIA
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Feb 17, 2021
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About 108,000 people are waiting for some type of organ donation, and 86 percent of those are waiting for a kidney, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Nearly 20 percent of those waiting for a kidney are also awaiting a pancreas.

The Journal-News highlighted the issue with a series of stories looking at organ donations for National Donor Day. Those included the story of Kaylie Jackson, seen above, who saved six lives with organ donations after her death from a 2018 crash on her way to the Monroe High School prom.

Here are some key things to know:

Donor facts

Here are some answers to common questions regarding organ donation. For a more robust list, visit www.donatelife.net/faq.

  • Anyone, regardless of age or medical history, can sign up to be a donor.
  • There’s no age limit to organ donation. To date, the oldest donor in the U.S. was 93.
  • Medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissues can be donated.
  • Most major religions in the United States support organ donation and consider a donation as the final act of love and generosity toward others.
  • There is no policy or federal regulation that excludes a member of the LGBT community from donating organs.
  • To be a living donor, there are requirements, but mostly a person must be in good overall physical and mental health, and older than 18. There are medical conditions that could prevent a person from being a living donor.
  • Shared ethnicity is not a requirement for matching organ donors and recipients.

Fast facts

  • 8 lives can be saved with organ donations (heart, 2 lungs, liver, pancreas, 2 kidneys and intestines)
  • Every 10 minutes, a person is added to the waiting list
  • 20 people die every day because an organ is not donated in time
  • About 108,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list at any given time. About 85 percent are waiting for a kidney.
  • In 2020, there were 22,817 kidney transplants performed

Organ donations: Saving lives in Butler County

A multi-story package from the Journal-News looked at the status of impact of organ donations, with perspectives from those who have saved lives or lost loved ones who have saved lives and those who live on.

» Monroe teen who died after 2018 crash going to prom saved 6 lives through organ donation

» Middletown fire chief ‘very lucky person’ 7 months after liver transplant

» ‘So worth it’: Woman honors parents with kidney donation to Fairfield Twp. stranger

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About the Author

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Michael D. Pitman has been a reporter in southwest Ohio since 1999. He's covered local governments in Warren and Butler counties, as well as state and national issues. He currently covers the cities of Fairfield and Hamilton.