Make your wishes known Becoming a tissue donor is a two-step process. First, we ask that you sign up for our program, Hand It Down. This program allows you to share your wish of becoming a tissue donor with your loved ones and allows us to stay in touch with you. Click here to make your wishes about tissue donation known and to receive your Hand It Down wallet card.
Next, we ask that you register with Donate Life Texas, the statewide registry for organ and tissue donation.
The most important thing you can do to become a donor is to let your family members know about your decision to donate. It is crucial that you make your wishes known to your family so that they will understand and support your decision. The Hand it Down program allows you to enter your name into a database reflecting your desire to become a tissue donor. Through the program, you will receive a card for your wallet, indicating your wishes to be a tissue donor. You may carry the card so that, in the event of your death, the presence of the card would let others know that you wish to become a donor.
Make plans in advance. When a death occurs in a hospital, The Tissue Center is automatically notified. However, people who do not pass away in a hospital may become donors, too. If you have already made the decision to donate, talk with your family and let them know that you wish for The Tissue Center to be contacted at the time of your death. People who may help your family contact The Tissue Center include: home health and hospice nurses, funeral directors, victim services, and justices of the peace. By participating in Hand It Down, The Tissue Center will assist you in making your wishes known.
To contact The Tissue Center on-call coordinator, please call (800) 489-8027.
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