Organ Donation: A Vital Act of Solidarity

Every year, thousands of patients depend on a transplant to stay alive or regain quality of life. Governed by law and founded on solidarity, organ donation remains essential in meeting these medical needs. For the past fifteen years, the Monaco Liver Disorder Association (MLD) has been working to inform the public, remove barriers, and promote a gesture that can save several lives. MonacoSanté sheds light on the topic.

“The Most Beautiful and Precious Gift One Can Offer”

Raising awareness of organ donation, supporting research and families, and improving paediatric medical services — since its creation on 1 April 2011, the Monaco-based association Monaco Liver Disorder (MLD) has been tirelessly promoting the importance of organ donation . It was founded by Carla Fadoul Shechter, then the mother of a young boy who had suddenly fallen seriously ill. “He was 18 months old and we had to spend three weeks at L’Archet Hospital in Nice”, she recalls. From this traumatic experience, she drew both strength and purpose, dedicating herself to all those — including many children — whose lives depend on a transplant . Although her son, now 19, has recovered, she continues to lead numerous initiatives to explain, destigmatise and encourage families to consider organ donation . “When someone dies, it represents a form of continuity — it gives meaning to their life. It is the most beautiful and precious gift on earth, because it very often means literally saving another person’s life”, she explains. This conviction also inspires her to support patients living through extremely challenging times. “When you are waiting for an organ donation, psychologically it feels as if you are in a corridor — like being suspended between life and death. It’s far from easy. You are waiting for something that could save you, so you hold on.” 

Starting the Conversation: Expressing One’s Wishes During One’s Lifetime

To pursue its mission, Monaco Liver Disorder continues to raise awareness in the community. On 23 November 2025, the association will organise the 3rd Petanque Challenge for Organ Donation in Cap-d’Ail (1), with all proceeds going to support its activities. Its aim is also to show that life goes on after a transplant — as illustrated by Luna, a Monegasque teenager who received a heart transplant. During the 2023 U Giru de Natale charity race, she took part using a wheelchair provided by MLD. “Organ donation doesn’t just save one person — it often saves an entire family. I know it can be difficult to think about when a loved one passes away. But the question to ask is: what happens next?”, says the association’s president. She hopes to encourage open discussion: “It’s not about forcing anyone, but about showing that this is a remarkable gift. It’s painful, but it can bring comfort — even pride — to know that you have contributed to something vital .” In Monaco, the choice to donate is made during one’s lifetime. The process is governed by Act No. 1.073 of 27 June 1984, which regulates the removal of organs and tissues from the human body for therapeutic purposes. Article 1 of the Act states: “Any legally competent person may consent, during their lifetime, to the removal of organs or tissues from their body for the purpose of performing, for therapeutic reasons, a transplant on another person . Such consent may be withdrawn at any time”. It also specifies that no removal may take place “if the reasonably foreseeable outcome would be the donor’s death or cause serious harm to their health”.

In Monaco, Organ and Tissue Donation Strictly Governed by Law

In the Principality, organs or tissues may be removed from a deceased person only if they have expressly consented during their lifetime. Consent may be expressed in a will or through written authorisation made in the presence of two witnesses before the director of an authorised facility. The Monegasque law further provides that “when the person from whom organs are to be removed is a minor, removal is subject to the express consent of both parents or the surviving parent”. In its Chapter II, the legislation also sets out the conditions under which such removals may be carried out. All procedures are carried out exclusively in establishments authorised by ministerial decree . In the case of deceased donors, removal can take place only “after death has been personally certified by three doctors attached to the establishment. The doctors who certify death may not take part in either the removal or the transplant.” Furthermore, if there are “signs or indications of violent or suspicious death, no removal may be carried out without the authorisation of the Public Prosecutor, who must first consult a physician.” Finally, no removal may take place if the death results from a workplace accident or an occupational disease.

6,000 Transplants in 2024, 22,500 Patients Waiting

According to the French Biomedicine Agency, the national authority for organ donation, around 22,500 people were on the transplant waiting list in France in 2024 — yet only 6,000 transplants were performed that year. Transplantable organs include the kidney, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, and certain parts of the intestine. It is also possible to donate human tissues , such as bones, arteries, heart valves, corneas of the eyes, veins, skin, tendons, and ligaments. “These organs and tissues are removed at the time of the donor’s death. Others can also be donated during life, as doing so does not prevent the donor from living normally”, explains the French Biomedicine Agency. Organ donation is considered only when a patient’s condition deteriorates to the point where replacing one or more failing organs with a healthy one — known as a graft — offers the only chance of recovery. For many recipients, transplantation means a near return to normal life — working, starting a family, practising sports, travelling — while it will nevertheless be necessary for them to continue treatment to prevent organ rejection .

(1) Sunday 23 November 2025, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Cap-d’Ail Boules Club, 2 avenue Marquet, 06320 Cap-d’Ail. Contact : 06 40 62 37 77 or contact@mld.mc