Today, there is almost 100,000 men, women and children currently need life-saving organ transplants.

An average of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant. Which is over 6,000 people a year die while waiting for organ transplants.

Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list.

Organ donation occurred in only .0025% of all deaths in the United States.

One individual who donates after death can provide organs, corneas, skin, bone and tissue for 50 or more people in need.

According to research, 98% of all adults have heard about organ donation and 86% have heard of tissue donation.

90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor.

The largest number of children who need organ transplants are waiting for kidney donations.

African-Americans, who represent 27% of the national population, receive more than 40% of all kidney transplants. Because of specific medical conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure, African-Americans suffer a disproportionately high rate of End Stage Renal Disease (kidney failure). There are currently more than 24,000 African Americans waiting for kidney or kidney-pancreas transplants nationwide.

In 2006, there were 28,931 organ transplants performed in the United States.

In 1988, 4,080 people donated organs after death. In 2006, that number has nearly doubled to 8,024.

An estimated 220,000 Americans are treated with transplanted bone and tissue each year. Tissues include tendons and ligaments, skin used to treat burns, heart valves and eye corneas.

About 46,000 cornea transplants are performed annually, with more than 5,000 people waiting for donated corneas.

Almost 44% of people waiting for organ transplants are between the ages of 18 and 49.

By gender, 57% of Americans waiting for donated organs are male; 43% are female.

Survival rates for organ recipients continue to rise. The one year survival rate for kidney recipients is 95%, for heart recipients, 85%, for liver recipients, 77%, and for pancreas recipients, almost 77%. Between 1996 and 2001, one year survival rates for lung recipients increased by almost 34%.

There is no cost to be an organ and tissue donor. Donation is a gift.