How We Help

Each year, donated organs, like hearts and kidneys, save thousands of lives, but did you know that donated tissue like skin, bone and heart valves can dramatically improve the quality of life for others. More than 1.75 million tissue transplants are performed each year giving hope for a restored life.

Through this interactive experience, you will learn how sports injuries, severe burns and even heart patients are transformed through the gift of tissue donation. Please click on the icons as you navigate through the image slides below to view more information.

Skin

Skin grafts are typically used to treat patients with severe burns. The skin graft serves as a temporary cover, which decreases pain, lowers the risk of infection and controls fluid loss while the patient's own skin heals. Community Tissue Services is one of the largest non-profit providers of skin grafts to surgeons for severe burn patients in the United States.

Corneas

Corneas are the transparent tissue of the eye that cover the iris and pupil which helps the eye focus as light makes its way through.

People whose corneas have been injured by disease, infection or trauma can have their sight restored by corneal replacement.

Heart Valves

Heart valves can be lifesaving to children born with absent or damaged heart valves and to adults with life-threatening cardiac defects and damage.

Saphenous & Femoral Veins

Saphenous and femoral veins are used for vascular disease surgeries, such as a heart by-pass surgery.

Ligaments & Tendons

Ligaments and tendons are most commonly used to repair athletic related injuries, such as knee and joint injuries.

Bone

Bone Grafts are used by surgeons to repair or replace bone after serious injury, bone cancer or crippling disease.

They are used to treat a wide range of medical conditions, such as spine surgery, joint reconstruction, and treatment of trauma.