**Ultimate Donation: Organ Donor Registration in California**

California, the most populous state in the U.S., has one of the nation’s lowest organ donor registration percentages. According to a 2019 sample of the U.S. population, 90% of adults support organ donation, but only 60% are actually signed up as donors.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) began asking driver’s license and ID card holders if they wanted to join the state’s official Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry on July 1, 2006. By the end of that year, 1 million people had signed up to the secure and confidential database.

As of October 30, 2024, nearly 19.7 million Californians had registered since 2006. However, a 2023 survey showed California had the second-lowest adult organ registration rate at just 31.2%, behind Georgia at 32.8%. In comparison, some states such as Indiana and Colorado have donor registration rates exceeding 65%.

It’s important to note that not all states reported to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network’s 2023 survey.

**Community-Specific Education Key to Improving Registration**

Lacey Felder, Program Manager at Donate Life California, explains the challenges:
“California is not only the largest state in the country, it’s also one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse. Although we see diversity as a strength, it also means we must do intensive, community-specific education to ensure people have accurate information about organ, eye, and tissue donation. Different communities have different levels of trust in medical systems, cultural considerations, or long-standing misconceptions, so our outreach needs to be tailored and ongoing.”

**Miracles Happen: A Story of Hope and Survival**

Gretchen Malcolm, 66, of San Juan Capistrano, recently celebrated her one-year anniversary of a double lung transplant. Diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2014, Malcolm’s health rapidly declined in September 2024.

On September 6, 2024, she was admitted to MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills with pneumonia, rhinovirus, and pulmonary fibrosis. By September 17, she was transferred to UC San Diego hospital, placed on the lung transplant list, and considered high risk.

With a week to live after being intubated, Malcolm’s family was prepared for the worst. However, on September 25, 2024—World Lung Day—an offer of lungs with a matching blood type became available. The following day, a 9½-hour transplant surgery was performed at UC San Diego hospital in La Jolla.

Gretchen credits her recovery to the “incredible team of lung and transplant doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, swallow and throat specialists, pharmacists, X-ray technicians, phlebotomists, and nutritionists.” She was released from the hospital on October 28, 2024.

**Everyone Can Be a Donor**

Anyone can become a potential organ donor regardless of age, ethnicity, or medical history. Remarkably, one U.S. man donated a liver at age 95.

After six months post-transplant, recipients may write a nondescript letter (free of personal or geographic information) of thanks explaining the impact of the donation on their life. This letter is sent to the donor’s family by the hospital’s social worker. The family may choose to respond or not.

**Learn More**

For more information on organ donation and how to register, visit:
– [organdonor.gov](https://www.organdonor.gov)
– [donatelifecalifornia.org](https://www.donatelifecalifornia.org)

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**Sources:**
Donate Life America, organdonor.gov, 2019 National Survey of Organ Donation Attitudes and Practices, donatelifecalifornia.org, United Network for Organ Sharing, Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/09/organ-donors-why-california-has-one-of-the-lowest-registration-percentages/