What does it mean to register?
11/19/2024THE QUESTION
If you visit an Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) field office, or select authorized third-party (ATP) location, you may be asked if you would like to register as an organ and tissue donor depending on your reason for visiting. In fact, this is the most common place Arizonans are asked, and 95% of new donor registrations in our state happen through an ADOT MVD or ATP transaction.
You might also be asked to register as a donor at a registration table during a community event, like an Arizona Diamondbacks game. When you see a story about donation online or in the media, you’re encouraged to add your name to the registry by visiting DonateLifeAZ.org.
There are many avenues to register as an organ and tissue donor. But what does actually mean if you sign up?
THE ROLE OF THE REGISTRY
Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) is the federally designated organ procurement organization for Arizona and administers the state’s confidential donor registry. Registering as an organ and tissue donor is a legally-binding decision to save and heal lives, and it is just one way donation professionals can identify if a person has authorized donation at the end of life.
Registration status can be indicated with a DONOR ♥ insignia on a driver license or state ID. However, this insignia does not confirm someone’s registry status if donation becomes a possibility. Only the registry itself is the confirmation.
Only we at DNA can verify a person’s registry status when a hospital reports the death to our team. All hospitals in the state are federally required to call DNA in the event of a patient’s death, or imminent death, and hospital staff have no way to know a patient’s registry status.
If the patient’s name and information aren’t in the DonateLifeAZ registry, their legal next-of-kin or authorized representative can authorize donation. Learn more about the deceased donation process here.
Have more questions about the Arizona registry? Learn more at DonateLifeAZ Registry.
AN INTENTIONAL DECISION
Adison Leigh Rayburn deeply understood the power of sharing life.
“She actually registered to be a donor twice,” her parents, Rob and Shannon Rayburn, say.
Adison passed away after an asthma attack in December 2023. Through her decision to register as an organ and tissue donor, she saved the lives of three and offered other gifts for research.
“She was one of the brightest, most curious kids,” says Shannon.
Her parents think she would be elated to learn she saved the lives of other people. They say her decision to register as a donor as “deliberate” and “intentional.” The Rayburns say the donation process has had a profound impact on themselves as well.
WHY YOU SHOULD REGISTER
The decision to register as an organ and tissue donor is a choice to share life with your fellow humans.
Right now, more than 104,000* people in the United States need an organ transplant. More than 1,800* live in Arizona. Like Adison, your decision to register could help save up to eight of those lives and heal 75 more.
WHAT’S NEXT
Join the more than 4.8 million people on the DonateLifeAZ Registry. You can sign up as an organ and tissue donor next time you visit an ADOT MVD or ATP. But why wait? You can register online right now at DonateLifeAZ.org.
*Data as of 11/14/2024