(Editor’s note: The following article and “Donated tissue” are reprinted with permission from the The Missoulian. Both articles were written by Missioulian reporter Ginny Merriam. Residents of Montana and Washington can register their donation decisions at livinglegacyregistry.org.)

Montanans are generous, in life and in death.

Of the state’s 600,000 licensed drivers, about 400,000 have said “yes” to being organ and tissue donors when they get their licenses. It’s marked on the licenses, and most people consider it taken care of.

But in practice, many people who have said “yes” have died and not given organs. That’s because the license has been the only expression of the wish, said Dean Roberts, administrator of the state Motor Vehicle Division.

“I can give you
a million reasons – a young person
who at 17 has helped 20
or 30 people, I just believe
in this so much. This is one of the
rewards of this job,”
says Dean Roberts, administrator,
Montana Motor Vehicle Division.

“That’s where it ended,” he said in a recent phone interview from his Helena office. “So if you were ever in a position where those organs could be donated, the only reference to that was on your driver’s license.”

A key part of donation is potential donors talking to their loved ones, said Jan Hendrix, who is regional supervisor for the Northwest Tissue Services and vice chairwoman of Montana’s Governor’s Council on Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness. Families are in shock after accidents and sudden deaths and may be surprised to be told their lost loved one wanted to donate.

“With families,” Hendrix said, “if they don’t know what their loved ones wanted, it’s much easier to say ‘no.’ ”

But it’s important for every donor’s wish to be realized because of the need for eyes, tissues and bone and, especially, organs, Hendrix said. At any given time, 80,000 to 88,000 people are on the national waiting list for donated organs; a new person is added every 13 minutes. In the Northwest today, 1,087 people are on the regional waiting list for organs.

“Almost 50 percent of those on the list may die waiting for their transplants,” Hendrix said. “There’s a constant need.”

With that in mind last April, the Montana Legislature approved a bill allowing creation of an electronic donor registry for the state. Legislators approved a fiscal note with it, allowing LifeCenter Northwest, the region’s nonprofit, federally designated organ recovery organization for Montana, Washington, Alaska and northern Idaho, to fund the program with its federal money.

“There was pretty good consensus across the state that this was important,” Roberts said.

The Montana Living Legacy Registry is in testing now and will go live about Jan. 1. It will begin with the 400,000 donors who’ve designated themselves when they renewed their licenses. New donors will be transferred nightly to the registry.

Montanans can become donors four ways. They can say “yes” when renewing their licenses or visit a driver’s license office any time. Drivers and non-drivers can also pick up an explanatory brochure at the offices and mail in a card attached to the brochure. They can also call 1-877-275-5269, toll-free. Or they can join the registry on the Internet by going to livinglegacyregistry.org.

Donors can also go online at any time to change the specifics of their wishes.

Information is not shared with any organization except hospitals, with which the registry has written agreements, at the time of donation.

In all, 33 other states have electronic registries, Hendrix said. Montana, Washington and northern Idaho are new; northern Idaho’s begins Jan. 5. Washington’s went live Aug. 1.

“It’s been nothing but positive,” Hendrix said. “It’s been a tremendous relief to families, not having to make that decision.”

Three nonprofit procurement organizations operate in Montana. LifeCenter Northwest procures organs. It’s based in Bellevue, Wash., and is designated by the federal government to receive federal money to help with organ procurement. The Northwest Tissue Services recovers bones, tendons, ligaments, skin, heart valves and other cardiovascular tissue, blood stem cells and other tissue. It’s based in Seattle. In Montana, the Montana Eye Bank recovers eyes from donors. The Eye Bank merged with the Northwest Lions Eye Bank in 2000 to serve the area more efficiently.

“We do collaborate on everything,” Hendrix said. “We’re not competitive.”

The organizations have specific recovery teams. Separate teams work with donor families. There’s never a cost to a donor, Hendrix said. Costs are paid by the procurement organization and then by the recipient, like blood recipients.

Roberts hopes that an easier, surer, more specific way to donate will bring more donors into the mix.

One organ donor can help up to eight people and a tissue donor 50 people.

“I can give you a million reasons – a young person who at 17 has helped 20 or 30 people,” Roberts said. “I just believe in this so much. This is one of the rewards of this job.”