Busting the Myths About Organ Donation

When Donna and Bill Mains received a phone call in 2021 letting them know their beloved son Gavin had passed at age 23, they were devastated. As they arrived at the hospital, they were met by representatives from the organ procurement organization Donate Life Pennsylvania. They didn’t know Gavin had checked the “organ donation” box on his driver’s license.

The Mains, who knew nothing about organ donation, had one reservation as the process unfolded. They were not sure how the organs would be selected and whether his body would be shipped somewhere else for surgery. Their fears were unfounded.

“We were able to choose what organs they could take and what they couldn’t, and the surgery was done right here,” Bill says. “So, we spent two precious days with Gavin and then had the funeral right after his organs were donated.” 

The couple felt Gavin’s decision was a gift and was typical of their son’s characteristic desire to give to others. They only had best wishes for the recipients that received his organs and maintain a close relationship with two of them to this day. 

“The organ procurement organization does everything to meet needs of family,” Donna says. “We are so grateful that others are able to live their lives and honor Gavin in that way.”

Questions like those of the Mains represent some of the myths that keep people from becoming organ donors. With the help of Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and Donate Life Pennsylvania, here are five common myths and the facts that set them straight.

MYTH: Doctors and EMTs won’t work as hard to save your life if you’re a registered organ donor.
FACT: Clinicians and emergency medical services providers will do everything they can to save your life, otherwise open themselves up to career-ending legal action. Plus, there is no incentive for them to violate their oath “to do no harm.”

MYTH: People who donate organs or tissues can’t have an open-casket funeral.
FACT: Like all deceased people, donors’ bodies are treated with care and respect. Typically, they’re dressed in clothes the family selects. No one would be able to see that they donated organs or tissues.

MYTH: You must be in perfect health to donate your organs.
FACT: Anyone can register to become a donor, not just those who are young or in perfect health. Even if you have a chronic disease, you may still be able to donate unaffected organs.

MYTH: Organ donation goes against religious beliefs.  
FACT: On the contrary, the largest religious sects in the U.S. – including Catholic, Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal, Lutheran and more – endorse donation as an act of charity.

MYTH: My family will be charged if I donate my organs.
FACT: While your family would pay for medical care given before your loved one’s organs are donated, they do not pay for donation. The person who gets the organs for transplant pays for removing the organs through health insurance programs. 

Donna says indicating you want to be an organ donor on your driver’s license makes it much easier for the family. “They don’t have to make that kind of decision in the midst of their grief and trauma,” she says. “Everyone should do that for the sake of their family.”

Becoming an organ donor when you renew your driver’s license is one convenient way to sign up, but not the only way. Now, during Donate Life Month, use the resources below to find the right information for you.

If you live in Pennsylvania, register below:

Opens in new tab Become An Organ Donor | Donate Life Pennsylvania

For a national resource, go to:

Opens in new tab Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation | organdonor.gov