Donate a Pacemaker (Project My Heart Your Heart)

Each year, hundreds of thousands of patients have new pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) removed and replaced or pass away and are buried with these devices. Those who choose cremation routinely must have their devices removed. You or your loved one’s pacemaker or ICD may still work and could be donated to a patient in need.

U-M Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center works with World Medical Relief (WMR), interested citizens, physicians and funeral directors across the U.S. to help these patients in need through a program called Project My Heart Your Heart.

There are patients throughout the world, mostly in poorer countries, that cannot afford pacemakers or ICDs. These patients do not have access to these same life-saving devices.

Project My Heart Your Heart

Learn more about the collaboration between people and organizations across the world that helps provide life-saving devices for patients in need.

Visit Project My Heart Your Heart

Frequently Asked Questions About Pacemaker Donation

Pacemaker donations are accepted from private individuals, funeral homes or crematory, physician or healthcare facilities, medical waste company or private individual. Please note these donations are not tax deductible and are for humanitarian efforts.

You may be able to help save a life by donating your or your loved one’s device to our project. A funeral director will respectfully remove the device and send it to be used by Project My Heart Your Heart. There is no cost to you or your loved one’s estate or insurance company. Your decision to donate is optional. If you are interested in donating a pacemaker through My Heart Your Heart, please download the Device Donor Information Sheet.

At this time, we only accept pacemakers and ICDs. Home monitoring equipment are not accepted at this time. Please reach out to the specific manufacturer for further details.

If you are ready to donate a pacemaker through My Heart Your Heart, please fill out the form below.

*INTERNATIONAL DEVICE DONATIONS: We understand that you are considering making a donation from outside the United States, and we are truly grateful for your willingness to contribute internationally. While we gladly accept international donations, we would like to inform you of certain logistical limitations concerning the shipment of hazardous items. Due to our reliance on the United States Postal Service (USPS) for shipping, we unfortunately do not have the capacity to assist with the shipment of items from international locations due to the lithium batteries in the pacemakers. We hope in the future to be able to accept those donations and are working toward that goal. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions so we can share potential contacts in other parts of the world.

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