Organ Donation in Mississippi

Organ donation in Mississippi is administered by the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency (MORA), which is also called Donate Life Mississippi.

Each day, 17 people die waiting on the transplant list. Organ donation significantly extends one's lifespan; many are alive and healthy years after donation. There are over 165 million people signed up to be organ donors nationwide.

Know the Facts

There is a staggering amount people awaiting an organ transplant in the United States.
Donations in the highest demand include: heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, intestines, eyes, skin, bones, heart valves, and tendons.
All major organized religions approve of organ and tissue donation.
The organ waiting list is not divided by income or popularity; it is based on critical health need.
Every attempt will be made at saving your life without consideration of your donor status.
Organ donations will not disfigure your body and an open-casket funeral is still possible.
Your family will not incur any expenses should you decide to be a donor.

For more facts about organ donation, please visit our page about Organ Donation Facts.

Register as an Organ Donor

You must be at least 18 years old to register as an organ donor on Mississippi. If you're less than that age, your parent or guardian must issue their consent. There is no upper age limit on organ donors.

You can register online or in person at your local MS DPS office.

Be sure to tell your closest relatives of your decision; they will need to sign the donor paperwork upon your death and have the final say on your donation.

Online

NOTE: When you register as Mississippi organ donor online, you will need to provide your driver's license or state ID number.

You can apply online to be on the donor registry hosted by the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency (MORA). You can also visit ORGANIZE.org to add your name to a growing list of national registrants within their database. Your registration will follow you from state to state, if you move.

In Person

When you are applying for, renewing, or replacing your driver's license or your identification card at a driver's license office, you can indicate on your application that you would like to be a donor.

MORA also has registration tables at many events where you can fill out a paper registration form.

What Happens Next

Be sure to talk to your family about your choice to become an organ donor. Medical professionals may need to talk to them about your medical and social history, and knowing in advance that you opted to become an organ donor can reduce the confusion about end of life decisions.

At the time of death, doctors will perform blood tests and tests of kidney and liver function to determine whether you are a suitable candidate for organ donation.

There is no fee at the time of registration, nor is there ever a fee to the organ donor or his or her estate. All costs associated with organ donations are absorbed by the organ procurement organization.

Update Your Organ Donation Information

You can update your organ donor profile online at the Donate Life Mississippi website, or through ORGANIZE.org.

Ways You Can Support Organ Donation in CO

There are a number of ways to help Donate Life Mississippi during life, such as:

Making financial contributions to help support organ donor education in the state. You can donate online or by mail at:
- Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency
- Public Education Fund
- 4400 Lakeland Drive
- Flowood, MS 39232
Sharing organ donation facts and raising awareness by adding your organ donor status to your Facebook profile.
Raising awareness and funding by opting for the Donate Life Mississippi tag for your car.
Becoming a volunteer. You can donate time in the office preparing mailings or helping with other administrative duties.
Signing up as a Donate Life Ambassador and speaking to groups about organ donation, or running registration stations at community events. Volunteers whose lives have been touched by organ donation are especially needed; Donate Life seeks family members of donors, people who have received organ transplants and people whose family members have received transplants.
Becoming a living donor. While most organ donations are performed after death, there are also thousands of people each year who become living donors. It is possible to transplant a lobe of an organ for a lung transplant or liver transplant; you can also choose to donate a single kidney for transplant. Most living donors donate to a family member, but, there are also many people who opt for altruistic donation to strangers.