Why donate? The liver is critical to a person's well-being. More than 25,000,000 Americans -- one in every 10 -- are afflicted with liver-related diseases each year. More than 27,000 Americans die each year from chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis.
Lives depend on organ and tissue donations and there is a severe shortage. Thousands of children and adults are waiting for organs everyday, and the numbers are increasing. Liver donors are usually persons who have died and whose families have consented to having their organ donated.
Recently, however, a living person can donate a portion of his/her liver to another person. The liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself. Liver transplantation, once impossible, is now highly feasible. In addition, there have been dramatic gains in survival rates of recipients. In 2007, 6,493 liver transplants were performed in the U.S. One-year survival rate is 88%.
As of May 16, 2008, there are 16,358 people in the U.S. waiting for a liver transplant.
For more information on liver donations contact the following organizations:
UNOS
American Liver Foundation