How Donation Works
Every donation begins with a moment of generosity. Southern Legacy of Life works closely with hospital partners, medical teams, and donor families to ensure each gift is treated with dignity and every opportunity to save and heal lives is fulfilled. While every situation is unique, the donation process follows several consistent steps.
The Donation Process
Step 1:
Identification & Referral
When a patient meets certain clinical criteria, the hospital notifies Southern Legacy of Life. Our clinical team is available 24/7 to assess each referral and determine if donation may be possible.
This step ensures no potential gift is ever overlooked.
Step 2:
Evaluation of Donation
SLL specialists carefully review medical history and conduct screenings to determine which types of donation—organ, tissue, eye, or birth tissue—may be appropriate.
Safety and suitability guide every decision.
Step 3:
Authorization & Family Support
If donation is possible, our team meets with the patient’s legal next of kin to offer compassionate guidance, answer questions, and obtain authorization when needed.
We honor the wishes recorded on the Arkansas Donor Registry whenever possible.
Step 4:
Matching Donors with Recipients
For organ donation, SLL coordinates with transplant centers and national allocation systems to match each organ with the patients in greatest need.
For tissue, eye, and birth tissue donation, we work with accredited partners who help ensure every gift goes where it’s needed most.
Step 5: Surgical Recovery
Highly trained recovery teams perform all procedures with the same respect and care given in any operating room.
This step is done in alignment with the donor’s wishes and without delaying funeral arrangements.
Step 6:
Healing Through Transplant & Research
Donated gifts are sent to transplant centers or specialized processors. Organs save lives. Tissue restores mobility, heals burns, and improves quality of life. Eye donation restores sight. Birth tissue supports wound healing and reconstructive procedures.
Step 7:
Follow-Up & Family Support
After donation, SLL remains committed to donor families. They receive follow-up updates about the impact of their loved one’s gifts and are invited to participate in remembrance events, support programs, and community gatherings.
Types of Donations
What organs can be donated, how matching works, how transplantation saves lives, and what every Arkansan should know about becoming an organ donor.
An overview of tissue and cornea donation and how these gifts restore mobility, support healing, and give the gift of sight to Arkansans in need.
A compassionate option for mothers who choose to donate placentas and umbilical cord tissue after birth, supporting patients who rely on advanced healing therapies.
Organ Donation
What organs can be donated, how matching works, how transplantation saves lives, and what every Arkansan should know about becoming an organ donor.
Tissue & Eye Donation
An overview of tissue and cornea donation and how these gifts restore mobility, support healing, and give the gift of sight to Arkansans in need.
Birth Tissue Donation
A compassionate option for mothers who choose to donate placentas and umbilical cord tissue after birth, supporting patients who rely on advanced healing therapies.
Every gift begins with a decision.
Join the Arkansas Donor Registry and help save and heal lives across our state.
