Mayo Clinic Radio: Organ donation Organ donation often is referred to as the gift of life. In the U.S., 100,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Unfortunately, many may never get the call saying that a suitable donor organ has been found. It's estimated that every day in the U.S., 20 patients die because of the lack of donor organs. While organ donation is often thought of as something done after death, living donation is possible with some organs including kidney and liver.