Tissues transplanted from one person to another are called allografts. Allograft tissue comes from a deceased donor and represents a gift from the donor family to enhance the quality of life of someone in need.
Approximately 1,500,000 allografts are transplanted each year for a variety of life-saving and life-enhancing surgeries: bone grafts for patients with bones degenerated by cancer, cornea transplants to help restore sight, heart valves to replace damaged heart tissues, skin grafts to save the lives of burn victims, and tendon, meniscus and soft tissue replacements to help people lead more active lives. One tissue donor can save or improve the lives of up to 60 people. Currently, there are nearly 36 million Americans with debilitating musculoskeletal conditions who might benefit from an allograft.
While tissue transplantation is a fairly common procedure used to treat trauma, sports and age-related injuries, the number of procedures is limited by the availability of donor tissue. Generous donors who make the choice to donate the gift of tissue provide renewed possibilities for the thousands of patients who receive an allograft transplant each year.
