Q: Both my husband and I have organ donor on our driver’s licenses. My questions are: Who is contacted? What happens to the body that’s not harvested? Can any member of the family overrule our directions?
—Patti Stone, Fayetteville
A: When a potential donor is identified, the hospital contacts LifeLink of Georgia, which is the organ recovery organization for the state and South Carolina's Aiken and Edgefield counties, Tracy Ide, the chairperson of Donate Life Georgia and the public affairs coordinator for LifeLink of Georgia, told Q&A on the News. Organs are recovered at the hospital, and the body is moved to a funeral home of the family's choosing. If organ donation is not done, the body is moved to the funeral home at the family's discretion, she said. Family members can't overrule a person's wishes in Georgia, which is a first person consent state. That means if someone is on the state's donor registry (donatelifegeorgia.org), LifeLink can move forward with organ donation. The family will be informed of the decision, and the process will be explained to them, Ide said. Georgians can join the state's donor registry at donatelifegeorgia.org, when you renew/receive a driver's license or by filling out a donor card provided by Donate Life Georgia or LifeLink. LifeLink also asks the family of the deceased for consent for donation if they are not on the donor registry. "Either way, we encourage people to talk to their families about their wishes regarding organ donation so they are aware when the time comes," Ide said.
Andy Johnston wrote this column; Carolyn Crist contributed. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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