98-Year-Old Missouri Man May Be America's Oldest Organ Donor

Orville Allen lived a lifetime of service, and when he died at age 98 he had one last thing to give: his liver.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Orville Allen lived a lifetime of service, and when he died at age 98 he had one last thing to give: his liver.

Allen, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War and a longtime educator in rural southeastern Missouri, is the oldest American to ever donate an organ, transplant organizations said. He died on May 29 and his liver was successfully transplanted to a 72-year-old woman, according to Mid-America Transplant.

Allen was in robust health until he suffered a fall while picking up storm debris at his home in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, on May 27, his daughter, Linda Mitchelle said. He struck the back of his head and was flown to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

Swelling around Allen’s brain couldn’t be healed. As the family was preparing to say goodbye, hospital staff had a question: Would they consider donating his liver?

Given Allen’s age, it was a question that caught the relatives by surprise. But surgeons had examined him and determined the organ was acceptable for transplant.