See also Whole body, anatomical donation

Donating organs or body tissues can provide a gift of life to other persons facing medical crises. Seventeen Americans die each day waiting for a transplant because not enough people donate organs. In North Carolina, 2,900 persons are on waiting lists for vital organs. A larger but undetermined number await bone grafts, skin, corneal, and other types of tissue donations.

To be eligible to donate vital organs, a person must usually die at a hospital, where the organs can be recovered and then promptly and properly be transplanted. Deaths must be for unexpected neurological trauma, i.e. accidents, stroke, or other sudden events that cause brain death but leave vital organs undamaged. Tissue donation can be considered in many situations and donation can be made up to 24 hours after death.

Each year, Carolina Donor Services works with hundreds of families to determine if organ and/or tissue donation is medically possible and desired for their loved ones. Age is not necessarily a barrier to donation and each potential donor is evaluated on an individual basis.