A: Donation involves the recovery of organs and tissues after your death to help patients in need. In transplanting organs, time is crucial but tissue may be donated up to 24 hours after a person's heart has stopped beating. After recovery, the tissue is processed at LifeNet Health and stored until a surgeon requests the tissue for an upcoming surgery. Tissues that can be recovered include skin grafts, bone grafts, eyes and corneas, ligaments and tendons, veins and arteries, and heart valves. Approximately one million tissue transplants are done each year, making tissue donation a remarkable success story.