Donate Life: Organ DonationA client letter on becoming an organ, eye and tissue donor

Robert E. Williams, Attorney at Law

Are you an organ donor? If so, you need read no further, although you may find the information shared below affirming to you in the decision you have made. If not, please take a few minutes to consider leaving your healthy much needed organs to a waiting person after your death.
            According to organdonor.gov (last reviewed August 2026), more than 109,000 men, women and children are on the national transplant waiting list, another person is added every 7 minutes, and 12 people die each day waiting for an organ. More than 49,000 transplants were performed in the United States in 2025.
            I know a young man who waited a very long time to receive a double lung and heart transplant. Every time the phone rang there was that hope that it was Stanford Hospital calling. We have a friend who recently received a kidney after a long wait and another who is waiting now. We are very close to another young woman who, because of a genetic disease, may need a lung transplant in the future.
            We are so blessed to live in a time in history and in a society where such “miracles of modern medicine” are possible and in some cases almost routine. How many people do you know who are on dialysis and need a kidney?
            It is very easy to become an organ donor. Most people register when they are renewing their driver’s license. You can also include your wishes in an Advance Health Care Directive (formerly called a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care), a document that is part of most estate plans. California also has an online registry at donatelifecalifornia.org. About 20 million Californians have registered, making it the largest donor registry in the nation. The web site also has some wonderful “Stories of Hope” which make for inspiring reading. If you are not yet a donor please consider adding to this number.
Very truly yours,

Robert E. Williams,
Attorney at Law

How to Record Your Organ Donation Wishes in California

Deciding to become a donor is the most important step. Making sure that decision is known and documented is the next one. Californians can record their wishes in several ways, and using more than one is a good idea.

Register with Donate Life California

You can say "yes" to organ, eye and tissue donation when you apply for or renew a driver's license or ID card at the DMV, or at any time through the online registry at donatelifecalifornia.org. Registration is legally binding consent to donation, and you can update or remove your registration later.

Include it in your advance health care directive

California's advance health care directive includes a section for anatomical gifts. You can state whether you wish to donate any needed organs and tissues or only certain ones, and for which purposes, such as transplant, therapy, research or education. You can also give your health care agent authority to make donation decisions. Read more in Advance Health Care Directive in California: What to Include.

Tell your family and your agent

Even when you are registered, your family will be asked for medical history information and will be with you at the hospital. A short conversation now spares them from wondering what you would have wanted and helps them honor your decision.

Common questions

Will being a donor affect my medical care? No. Medical teams focus on saving your life; donation is considered only after death has been declared.
Is there a cost to my family? No. Your family does not pay for donation-related costs.
Can I still have an open-casket funeral? In most cases, yes.
Am I too old to register? There is no age limit to register. Medical suitability is evaluated at the time of death, and people in their 70s, 80s and older have been donors.
What about living donation? Some people choose to donate a kidney or part of a liver to a family member, friend or stranger while they are alive. This is a separate decision made with a transplant center.

National statistics in the letter above are from organdonor.gov (last reviewed August 2026). For related planning, see Will vs. Living Trust in California and Durable Power of Attorney for Finances.