NJ Sharing Network recognizes the impact of tissue recovery on the funeral home's practices. Donation may affect not only embalming and restoration efforts but also the timing of viewings and funerals. Communication is vital to the relationship between the funeral home and the NJ Sharing Network staff contacts the funeral home when coordinating the tissue recovery to provide information about the progress being made. They relay information about scheduled operating room time and the estimated recovery time. This information helps to alleviate delays and avoid miscommunication with the funeral home.

Since November of 2006, NJ Sharing Network has made it a practice to recover skin from the backs of tissue donors with a technique known as a “freehand recovery.” Our recovery staff’s surgical abilities and the rising need for this particular type of skin graft have paved the way for recovering freehand skin from the donor’s abdomen and legs as well.

How Does Tissue Donation Help?

Just one tissue donor can enhance the lives of many people through the following gifts:

• Eyes/Corneas— Restores sight for patients with corneal blindness or that have suffered trauma to the eye
• Bone, ligaments & tendons— Used in orthopedic procedures such as spinal surgery, knee replacements, sports injuries and dental procedures
• Skin– Used as a bandage to protect the body from infection during surgeries for trauma, cleft palate repair or mastectomy reconstruction
• Heart valves – Used for heart valve replacement surgeries