A new person is added to the national transplant waiting list every eight minutes in the United States, according to Donate Life. The number of patients currently waiting for organ, eye, or tissue donations exceeds 103,000—more than could fit in the country’s largest football stadium.

The first successful organ transplant took place in 1954 with a kidney procedure. By the late 1960s, liver, heart, and pancreas transplants were performed successfully. In the 1980s, lung and intestinal transplants also became viable options. In 1977, the Southeast Organ Procurement Foundation (SEOPRF) created the first computer-based organ matching system called the “United Network for Organ Sharing,” now known as UNOS.

In 2024, more than 48,000 organ transplants were completed in the U.S., marking a recor

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