Generous San Diegans help us save lives
Who we are
We are the nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) serving San Diego and Imperial counties in Southern California.
What we do
We are privileged to coordinate organ and tissue donation at the end of life and provide compassionate support to grieving families.
How we save lives
We identify deceased patients who have the potential to become organ donors – then we find matching recipients on the transplant waiting list. We also recover tissues for transplantation and operate a licensed tissue bank.
What our families say
“Organ donation has given me hope. It has given my dad’s life more meaning because his story didn’t end that day.”
Monique Pascucci, pictured with sister Nadia PowellDaughters of San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Robin Cervantes
“You might not be here if it hadn’t been for Peyton.”
Nigel Nurse, Captain, US Navy, RetiredHolding the baby of his son’s heart recipient
“As a mom, I’m so thankful for that precious gift they gave my son.”
Valerie JamesMother of kidney recipient Xavier McLeod
“She is an organ and tissue donor and we are so proud of that legacy for her.”
Michelle HerreraMother of Lifesharing organ donor Sara Michelle Herrera
Our families come first
We help transplant hundreds of vital organs every year, including hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys. Each organ is a gift from a donor in the San Diego region, and we provide support to the families of these heroes.
Personal guidance and compassionate care
Our family services team explains the donation process and empowers families to make informed decisions.
Connecting donor families with recipients
We facilitate letter exchanges between the families of our organ donors and the transplant recipients who received their loved one’s organs. We also help facilitate meetings between families.
After-care support and services
Our relationship with families does not end with donation. We offer an after-care program for families and provide them with opportunities to honor their loved ones.
Know the facts
Some people are afraid to register as organ donors, fearing that doctors won’t try to save their lives in an emergency. But the opposite is true – you can only become a Lifesharing organ donor if you die in a hospital after receiving a high level of medical care. This critical care helps to keep organs viable for transplantation.
You can have an open-casket funeral after donation, if you wish. You can also choose cremation if you wish, and have the donor’s ashes returned to loved ones.
Lifesharing pays all donation-related costs for its donors. (Note: families are still responsible for paying funeral and burial costs for their loved ones.)
Organ and tissue donation cannot happen unless the patient is a registered donor, or their family or legal decision-maker has authorized it.
Ready to help?
California has more people on the transplant waiting list than any other state
- Approximately 80% of California patients on the transplant waiting list come from multicultural communities
- Latino patients alone make up almost 50% of California’s waiting list
- For some patients on the transplant waiting list, the best organ match will come from an organ donor who shares their same ethnicity
- Our vision is to create a world where everyone who needs a transplant can receive one. We are committed to supporting families through the organ donation process and honoring the memory of their loved ones who have given the gift of life.
Our teams
Providing expert guidance and compassionate support throughout your donation journey.
Family Services
These specialists work with families in the wake of their loved one’s death, offering opportunities for organ and tissue donation. Our advocates provide on-site emotional support for families during the organ donation process.
Clinical Operations
We have one of the most highly skilled organ teams in the nation – including doctors, nurses and surgical coordinators. Our nurses are experts in critical care – they play an important role in keeping organs viable for transplant and identifying matching recipients.
Tissue Services
These skilled technicians work day and night to coordinate the donation and recovery of human tissue for transplantation. Skin can heal burn victims, tendons can rebuild joints and heart valves can save lives. A single tissue donor can help 100 people or more.
Leadership and Administrative Services
Our leadership team is made up of visionaries, innovators and trailblazers who have been on the forefront of the nation’s organ donation system for decades. For us, this isn’t a job – it’s a calling. Lifesharing is consistently ranked in the top-tier of organ procurement organizations (OPOs) across the nation.
Hospital Services
Organ donation must take place in a hospital or clinical setting, so we partner with every single medical center and health system in San Diego and Imperial counties. Our team educates frontline hospital staff and provides onsite support for all active cases.
Quality Assurance (QA) and Regulatory Compliance
We are relentless in our pursuit of excellence. We review each and every single donor case to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations. We have a robust performance improvement program, too.
Public Outreach
Our award-winning outreach programs and Emmy award-winning films help educate the public about organ donation. And our volunteers educate more than 10,000 local students each year with inspiring classroom presentations and compelling personal stories.
Our latest news, stories and events
Lifesharing’s Executive Director Selected for National Role
Lifesharing Executive Director Jeff Trageser, MSN, CPTC, is adding a new title to his name: President of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO)
Lifesharing Helps Transplant a Record Number of Organs in 2024
Float Honoring Lifesharing Organ Donor Wins Extraordinaire Award in 2025 Rose Parade
Test your knowledge
Organ donation and transplantation is a unique field of medicine. Take our quiz to test your knowledge
Less than 1% of the population will die in a way that allows for organ donation
Which organ has the longest waiting list?
Is there an official age limit for organ donation?
Do you have to be completely healthy to be an organ donor?
Organs are matched according to blood type, size and geographic location of the donor and recipients.
