What are some common terms used with organ donations?

An organ donor is anyone - living or dead - who provides an organ. The person receiving the organ is called a recipient. The act of collecting an organ from a donor is called retrieval, or procurement.

Nearly anyone of age and average health can be an organ donor. People who have cancer, HIV or disease-causing bacteria in the bloodstream or body tissues, however, are exempt from organ donation. A decision about an organ's usability is made at the donor's time of death or, in the case of a living donor, during the process leading to a donation.