How do donations work?

Want to know how the donation process works? This simple gesture on the part of the deceased is easy to accept by families and loved ones if they have been informed of your wishes beforehand.

Loved ones who have undergone a similar experience often state that making a human tissue donation helped them make sense of their loss.

Below are the various stages of a donation : 

1. Verification of consent

Only when the death is formally declared, i.e., the patient is in cardiopulmonary arrest, can the process begin. At that time, health professionals will perform a verification to validate the deceased person’s consent to human tissue donation.

2. Validation of consent by the family and loved ones

The health professionals will enter into discussions with the deceased’s loved ones to validate their intention to honour the deceased’s wishes. Remember: To be able to donate your human tissues, the onus is on you to discuss your wishes with your family and loved ones. When the time comes, the final decision rests with them. Without their consent, no human tissues may be collected. If you wish to perpetuate your desire to change the life of others, you must discuss this beforehand with them.

3. Verification of the eligibility to donate

Once the family and loved ones have given their consent to the removal of the tissues, the donor eligibility process begins. At this stage, Héma-Québec enters into communication with the deceased’s family and loved ones.

4. Collection of human tissues

Human tissues must be harvested within 24 hours after cardiopulmonary death to ensure the quality of the tissues collected. Héma-Québec takes complete charge of the logistics surrounding the collection, including the transfer of the donor tissues to its facilities.

The tissue collection process does not change the appearance of donors or prevent their viewings at funeral homes.

5. Return of the donor to the family and loved ones

The donor’s remains are returned to the family and loved ones who can then begin the grieving process and funeral rites. A completely confidential process As with all information obtained for the purposes of donation, the results of the serological tests remain confidential. They will only be used to determine whether the potential donor is eligible or not.