Donation facts

• One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance the lives of up to 75 others through tissue donation.
• Many people requiring transplants will spend months and sometimes years on the wait list, as the need for organs and tissues in Ontario continues to outweigh their availability.
• Every three days someone in Ontario dies while waiting for a life-saving transplant.
• Everyone is a potential organ and tissue donor, regardless of age or medical condition. The oldest Canadian organ donor was over 90, while the oldest tissue donor was 102.
• Organs and tissue that can be donated after death include the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, small bowel, stomach, corneas, heart valves, bone and skin.
• Living donations can also be made, with the most common being the kidney. Parts of the liver, lung, small bowel and pancreas can also be donated by the living.
• Most major religions support organ and tissue donation.