Registering as a donor at driver’s license, online, or any other platform is making the decision that, “Upon my death, I made the decision to donate my organs, tissues and eyes for transplant, research, education, and therapy. Unless under the age of 18, I understand that my family cannot override my decision.” This decision can save 8 lives through organ donation and 75+ through eye and tissue donation. Through research, education, and medical therapies, you may impact millions. This decision is legally binding and treated with the same significance as a will, if you are over 18. Learn more:
Understanding the Donor Registry: Your Decision Matters – Donate Life KY

Everyone can register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor – regardless of age or medical history. The oldest organ donor was 100 years old from Nebraska! Simply click this link to register your decision www.registerme.org. You also go to that link to update your information, share additional details, or provide donor specifications (ie: VCA, brain donation, etc.).

People under the age of 18 can register their intent to be organ, eye and tissue donors. However, until they are 18 years old, a parent or legal guardian makes the final donation decision. You are encouraged to share your decision with family/next of kin. Learn more here.

1. At any point in time, a registered donor can update their personal information or remove themselves from the Donor Registry by going into their personal record. Please note: Removing your name from the state registry is a permanent removal. Only the registered donor is allowed to access their account.
   
2. To update or remove your name from the Kentucky Donor Registry:
3. 1) Go to RegisterMe.org.  
4. 2) Click “Access Registration”
5. 3) Log-in with your information and click “remove”
6. Although your license may still reflect a heart icon, you are not a registered donor. The Registry is the legal authorization, not the driver’s license. Next time you renew your license, you may ask the staff to remove the organ donor icon.
7. **Note: Licensing staff screens do not automatically update when someone removes their name from the Donor Registry. You are removed from the Registry right away.
8. If you have removed your name online, that change is immediate and fully in effect. You are not registered, regardless of what the driver’s license screen or heart icon may show.
9. If you would like the heart icon removed from your license, please tell staff at your next renewal so they can update it manually. We are actively working with the state to improve this process and make it easier for customers.
   
10. OR
    
11. Email, text or call the Donate Life Kentucky staff at info@donatelifeky.org or 1-502-694-3015 (responses during normal business hours)
12. In your message, include your driver’s license number, date of birth, and name. 
13. With your permission, staff can go into your record for you and remove your name. This immediately and permanently removes your name from the Donor Registry.
15. Next time you renew your driver’s license, ask the driver’s license staff to “Please remove the organ donor icon from my license”. The driver’s license staff will not know that you have removed your name, as it does not reflect in their system. However, the icon is not authorization for donation. The donor registry is the authorization for donation, and your name has been permanently removed.

Thank you for registering as a donor! That is an incredible, heroic, generous decision!

Please share this with your legal next of kin and those who will be involved at the time of your death.

“I understand that registering as a donor means: I have made the legally binding decision to save & heal lives, if clinically possible, after my death. I have given legal authorization to donate my organs, eyes, and tissues for transplant, research, education and therapy to save & heal others. If I’m able to be an organ donor at the time of my death, I understand I must stay on the ventilator for a limited time to ensure the donation process can be completed. If I’m able to be a donor at the time of my death, I understand that my next-of-kin must answer a series of questions about my medical and social history.”

Now, inspire others:

1. Encourage your loved ones to join you on the Registry via text, email & in person.
2. Be an influencer on social media.  Encourage others to learn more about the importance of donation & register themselves.  Tag us on social media @donatelifekentucky. Check out free outreach resources at Donate Life America.
3. Get involved with Donate Life Kentucky Trust!  Share your story, become a Board Member, Volunteer, host an event encouraging others to help, and deepen your impact by giving a recurring gift to help families in need. Learn more by emailing us at info@donatelifeky.org or calling 1-866-945-5433.

You can register your decision to be an organ, tissue, and eye donor through your state registry by visiting your local driver’s license office, on your Apple iPhone Health App, MyChart, or online at www.Registerme.org.

Eligibility and Decision-Making:

• Anyone can register, regardless of age or medical history.
• Individuals under 18 can register their wish to donate, but final authorization at the time of death rests with a parent or legal guardian.
• Your registration serves as a legally binding document of gift, eliminating the need for family consent at the time of your passing.
  Everyone can register to be a donor – regardless of age or medical history.

Registration and Updates:

• Easily register online at Registerme.org. This platform also allows you to update your information or remove yourself from the registry at any time.

Impact of Your Decision:

By joining the registry, you consent to the donation of your organs, tissues, and eyes if medically suitable. This can significantly improve the lives of countless individuals in need. To make donation specifications, go to www.Registerme.org and access your registration.

Verification Process:

Upon your death, the National Donate Life Registry will be consulted by trained donation professionals to confirm your wishes.

Become a Beacon of Hope

Registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor is a powerful act of generosity that can offer a second chance to those desperately awaiting transplants. Take the initiative today and make a life-altering difference.

1. People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissues can be donated.
   A national system matches available organs from the donor with people on the waiting list based on blood type, body size, how sick they are, donor distance, tissue type and time on the list. Sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, race, income, celebrity and social status are never considered.

1. No. Everyone can register.  People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors.
   
   

1. Deceased donation is the process of giving organs, corneas or tissues at the time of the donor’s death for the purpose of transplantation, research, therapy and education in accordance with the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA).
2. Deceased donation can only occur after death has been declared by medical professionals who are not part of the donation and transplant process.
3. The state Donor Registry and National Donate Life Registry are searched securely online to determine if the patient has authorized donation. If the potential donor is not found on a registry, their next of kin or legally authorized representative is given the opportunity to authorize donation.
4. Donation and transplantation professionals follow national policy to determine which organs can be recovered and to which patients on the national transplant waiting list the organs are to be allocated.
   
   Learn more:
   Understanding the Organ Donation Process: Donation After Brain Death (DBD) and Circulatory Death (DCD)
   
   Read more about the deceased donation process below:
   Network For Hope
   Donate Life America

1. Find your local driver’s license office by clicking here.
   
   Please note: You can register online at RegisterMe.org without having to get a new driver’s license. You can also update your registration status. The Driver’s License office is unable to remove your name from the Registry in their system, so contacting our office or removing your name online is the only way to remove your name from the Registry.
   

1. Once a person turns 18, their decision to register as a donor is considered a legal, advanced directive. Just like a will, the decision to register is legally binding and followed as your decision. Your decision to register as an organ, eye, and tissue donor for any purpose authorized by law, and it will be honored after your death, if donation criteria are met.
2. The OPO (organ procurement organization) will inform your legal next-of-kin or legal representatives of your decision to be a donor and will involve them in the donation process but will not ask them for authorization.
3. You are encouraged to talk to your next-of-kin and legal representatives about all of your end-of-life decisions. If you need help and would like to speak with a community educator about donation, please email info@donatelifeky.org or call 1-866-945-5433.

1. To build your organ Donor registry campaign, follow the following steps:
3. 1) Visit RegisterMe.org and fill out your registration info OR click “access registration” at the top of the page.
4. 2) If you click “access registration” and fill in the appropriate information on the page when you are redirected.
5. 3) Once you have registered, you will be directed to the “My Donor Account” page. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page.
6. 4) Click “New Registration Campaign” at the bottom of the page.
7. 5) You will be redirected to the “Create Your Campaign” page, where you can add photos, and verbiage and set registry drive goals for your unique page.

1. Reach out to Stephanie Grooms to buy Donate Life Kentucky Trust t-shirts and gear!

1. Donate Life is the national brand for the cause of organ, tissue, and eye donation in America. To get the complete brand guidelines, please reach out to Stephanie Grooms.

1. We believe that media has a role as one of the most visible, trusted sources of donation information in the country.
2. As your partner, we are here to provide interviews, statistics, key messages and information to help you tell the stories of organ, eye and tissue donation accurately and completely. 
3. Email our Executive Director, Shelley Snyder or call/text 1-502-694-3015.
   For additional national media questions, visit Donate Life America’s Media Resources.
   

1. Teachers are incredibly impactful sources of donation information for students prior to obtaining a license and making vital donation decisions.
2. As your partner, we are here to connect you with in-person speakers, videos, statistics, key messages and information to help you tell the stories of organ, eye and tissue donation accurately and completely. 
3. Email info@donatelifeky.org or call/text us 502-694-3015 to learn more!
   

1. If you wish to share your story with our community and partners, please visit our Stories Page to have your testimony uploaded to our website!

1. In 2023, the Trust created a Circuit Clerks’ Trust Endowment to honor our founders. Now, our Donate Life Kentucky Scholarship Program allows student advocates who promote the mission of organ, eye, and tissue donation to earn scholarship dollars towards advancing their education. Deadline is in April of each year.
2. Click the link above to apply or learn more by emailing BKaelin@donatelifeky.org.

Community outreach is at the apex of all that we do to save lives here in Kentucky.  If you would like to participate in outreach initiatives in your town, sign up as an Ambassador or reach out to Stephanie Grooms to learn more ways to help. 

Outreach ideas include (but are not limited to):

• Church outreach
• Local business outreach
• Social media
• 3^rd party fundraising
• Flag raisings
• Local media interview opportunities
• Proclamations
• Education campaigns

Donate Life Kentucky Trust is the nonprofit sponsor helping to make the Heart of the Motor film available to schools and communities to inspire millions and save lives. The film tells the story of Wyatt Eddy and serves as an educational tool to increase awareness about the lifesaving impact of organ, eye, and tissue donation. By supporting this project, Donate Life Kentucky Trust continues its mission to provide accurate education and inspire the next generation to consider the gift of donation.

High school teachers across Kentucky are invited to bring Heart of the Motor into their classrooms as a powerful tool for learning and discussion. With sponsorship from Donate Life Kentucky Trust, the film is offered free of charge to Kentucky schools. Teachers who participate agree to administer a short pre- and post-test to students and classroom guide. To request access, teachers can complete our screening request form and receive the film link, discussion guide, and classroom materials.

• LEARN MORE: Heart of the Motor

Why do we offer kidney test strips?
Another powerful way to help end the transplant waiting list is through prevention. When fewer people develop kidney failure, fewer people need a transplant. That’s why outreach, education, and early detection are at the heart of our mission.

Our Kidney Test Strip Program is made possible by Amelia’s Run, a fundraiser inspired by transplant recipient Amelia Wilson and carried on by her husband in her honor. This program helps Kentuckians check their kidney health — one strip at a time.
Learn more here: Kidney Test Strip Program

How to get involved?

• Request test strips to distribute at health fairs, community events, or wellness programs
• Share the message: Talk with family and friends about the importance of early detection and routine kidney health checks
• Host or support education campaigns in churches, civic groups, schools, or local organizations
  

Together, we can help more Kentuckians stay off the waiting list — and live longer, healthier lives. Your support matters.