Everyday there are thousands of people in the United States waiting for a second chance at life, and unfortunately, over 21 percent of them reside in California.

April is “Donate Life Month” in California, and the California Department of Motor Vehicles is celebrating its partnership with the state-authorized registry program, "Donate Life California." This month, the DMV would like to remind residents that they have an opportunity to give life and hope to others by becoming an organ and tissue donor through the Donate Life California Donor Registry.

There are currently more than six million Californians enrolled in the Donate Life California registry—giving the state the highest enrollment of a donor registry in the U.S.

98 percent of those who register their decision to be an organ and tissue donor in California do so through the DMV.

It is easy to sign up as an organ and tissue donor through the DMV.
In the past, California driver license and identification card holders signed a donor card and placed the pink “donor” sticker on their license or ID, which served as an important symbol of their intent.  However, simply doing this did not place them on any list or registry to inform anyone else of that intent. Today, by signing up as an organ and tissue donor through the DMV, your name is placed directly in to the Donate Life California Registry - guaranteeing your wish to become a donor upon death. With the Donate Life California Registry, your desire to donate is stored in a secure, confidential database. The information is accessible only through authorized organ and tissue recovery personnel.

One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people, and tissue donation can enhance the lives of another 50 people.
***Since the Donate Life California Registry was introduced in 2005, more than 900 lives have been saved through organ donation, and more than 30,000 people have been healed through tissue donation from donors who had signed up on the registry.***

Organs for life-saving transplants include heart, liver, kidneys, lung, pancreas and small intestine. Examples of tissues that are often needed to save or enhance someone’s life include cornea, heart, valve, bone tissues, and skin grafts.  Listed below are a few facts about organ and tissue donation that you may not know:

•  Thousands of Californians wait for a second chance at life. You can give them hope today by making your decision known in your identification card or driver license application.
•  Californians make up about 21 percent of those waiting for an organ transplant across the nation.
•  Of those waiting, one out of three will die due to a lack of life-saving donors.
•  Organs and tissues are distributed fairly and equitable and the decision is based on medical criteria only.
•  Your medical care and/or funeral arrangements will not be affected by your decision to donate.
•  There are no costs to you or your family to donate.
•  People of all ages and medical histories can sign up to be potential donors.
•  All major religions support or permit donation.

On average, 30,000 donors each week sign up to become a donor through the DMV’s driver license and ID card application and renewal process, and you can become one of them. If you are interested in giving the gift of life and would like to become an organ and tissue donor, there are a few options for you on how to sign up.

1) First, you can wait until you apply for or renew your driver license or identification card, and check the “yes” box on your renewal notice or application.

2) The other option is to visit the DMV Web site at www.dmv.ca.gov and click the Organ and Tissue Donor Registry link under the Other Services option on the homepage. From there, click the Donate Life California link, and you will directly be taken to the Donate Life California Web site www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org, where it gives you the option to sign up to become and organ and tissue donor.

For more information about signing up to be an organ and tissue donor through the DMV, please visit www.dmv.ca.gov. For other information regarding Donate Life California, please visit www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org

About Donate Life California 
Donate Life California is the nonprofit, state authorized organ and tissue donor registry dedicated to saving the lives of thousands of Californians awaiting life-saving transplants. Donate Life California is managed by the state’s four federally designated, nonprofit organ recovery agencies.