If the donor is an adult, he or she may have agreed to be an organ donor before becoming ill. Also, parents and spouses can also agree to donate a relative's organ. Donors can come from any part of the United States.

Heart Transplant patient Patrick

Criteria have been developed to ensure that all people on a transplant waiting list are judged fairly, based on the severity of their illness and the urgency of receiving a transplant. Once UNOS receives data from local hospitals, people waiting for a transplant are placed on a waiting list and given a "status" code. The people in most urgent need of a transplant are placed highest on the status list and are given first priority when a donor heart becomes available.

UNOS receives data from hospitals and medical centers throughout the country about adults and children who need organ transplants. The medical team that currently follows your child is responsible for sending data to UNOS and updating them as your child's condition changes.

Heart Transplant patient Amaya

Donor organs are matched to the best potential recipient based on several factors in addition to status. Those include:

• the size of the donor organ
• the geographical distance between the donor and the recipient
• the blood type of the donor