Why Living Donation?

As of May 2011, there were close to 2,500 individuals on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in the state of Michigan and more than 111,000 in the nation, according to the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). Due to the length of the kidney waiting list and the short supply of deceased donor organs, the waiting period for a deceased donor kidney can be several years. Therefore, having a live donor can decrease a patient’s waiting time for a kidney transplant.

Other advantages to a living donor transplant include:

• The recipient receives the transplant much sooner and can avoid years of waiting on dialysis for a transplant from a deceased donor
• Better short-term and long-term outcomes as living donor kidneys usually last longer
• Surgery is scheduled making it more convenient for patients and their families
• More complete medical testing is possible with living donors, which helps to provide the highest quality kidneys for transplant
• The recipient receives the kidney immediately after the donor surgery, which helps preserve kidney function and reduce complications

Who is a Good Donor?

Donors do not need to be related to the recipient, although they often are related. They can be friends, coworkers, members of the same church or other organization, or any other type of relationship. While many people are willing to be living donors, not everyone has the qualities necessary to participate in living donation. Donors must be chosen carefully in order to avoid unwanted medical or psychological outcomes.

While the individual circumstances of each potential donor are considered and testing must be done to determine compatibility, all potential donors must be:

• genuinely willing to donate
• physically fit
• in good general health
• free from diabetes, cancer, kidney disease and heart disease

Individuals considered for living donation are usually between 18 and 65 years of age. Gender and race are not factors in determining a successful match. Hypertensive donors over the age of 50 may be eligible under certain conditions.

Am I Eligible to Become a Kidney Transplant Living Donor?