Did you know donating specific organs and tissues while still alive is possible? Around 6,500 living donation transplants are carried out each year. The good news is that a living donation is usually safe for the donor. Most living donors go on to live healthy and active lives and can see the positive impact of their donation.
Becoming a living organ donor is a noble and selfless act that requires careful consideration and preparation. Before making such a significant decision, it is crucial to be well-informed and understand the various aspects involved. Several key factors must be remembered to make the right choice.
6,500 living donation transplant each year
First and foremost, it is essential to educate yourself about the entire process, including the risks and potential outcomes. Gathering relevant information lets you understand what to expect and make an informed decision. Numerous online resources, such as donor networks, and transplant centers, provide valuable information to guide you through the decision-making process.
people across the United States are waiting for organ transplants
Who is eligible to be a living donor?
Are you interested in becoming a living donor? Parents, spouses, friends, coworkers, or even strangers can become candidates for living donations. However, specific requirements must be met to become a living donor. Firstly, you must be at least 18, although some transplant hospitals may require you to be at least 21. Additionally, you must be in good physical and mental health, clearly understand the risks and benefits of a living donation, and make an informed decision about whether or not to proceed with a living donation. To help you decide if donation suits you, transplant hospital staff will ensure your decision is yours alone.
When it comes to organ donation, the transplant hospital staff may decide against it due to specific health issues that could put the donor’s health and safety at risk. Some examples of these health issues include uncontrolled high blood pressure, untreated psychiatric conditions, cancer, and diabetes.
Good overall physical and mental health
Prioritizing your health is also essential when considering becoming a living organ donor. To be eligible to donate an organ, you must have good overall physical and mental health. This entails maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle and scheduling regular checkups to ensure your well-being. Additionally, undergoing a series of medical tests is necessary to determine if you meet the criteria for being a suitable candidate.
Another crucial aspect to consider is which organ you would like to donate. As a living donor, you can donate a kidney, a portion of your liver, lung, or intestine. Understanding that each organ donation has different requirements and impacts on the donor’s health is essential. Therefore, it is vital to carefully assess the potential implications and make an informed decision based on your circumstances.
individuals die each day while waiting for a transplant
What’s involved in becoming a donor?
If you are considering becoming a living donor, you and the transplant hospital staff will need to evaluate whether it is the right choice for you. The hospital staff will collect a lot of information about your health to determine if you are a suitable candidate for organ donation.
As a living donor, you can expect to undergo a physical examination, lab tests, and screenings for cancer and other medical conditions. You will be asked to provide details about your medical history, receive a mental health evaluation, answer questions about your social support, and discuss your financial situation. Additionally, you will be informed about the potential risks and benefits of living organ donation.
If the tests show that you are not a match for the person in need of an organ transplant, there may be other opportunities for you to donate, such as participating in a paired exchange program.
Organs that living donors can donate
Did you know that living donors can donate some organs? It’s true! Donating a kidney, a portion of your liver, or even a lung lobe could save someone’s life and make a huge difference for them and their loved ones. So consider becoming a living donor today and help make the world a better and healthier place.
A healthy body is a happier and healthier place. Kidneys and livers are the organs that are most frequently needed for organ transplant. These organs can be donated by living donors to save someone’s life. You may choose to donate one of your kidneys as 85% of people awaiting a transplant need a kidney. A kidney is the most commonly donated organ and your remaining kidney will continue to remove waste from your body. Alternatively, you can donate a segment of your liver and the remaining liver cells will grow or refresh until your liver is almost back to its original size. This happens within a short amount of time for both you and the recipient. In rare cases, you may also donate one lobe of the lung, part of the pancreas, or part of the intestine. While these organs don’t regrow, the portion you donate and the remaining part of the organ will function properly.
Tissue that living donors can donate
Donating can be a great way to help others in need. If you are interested in donating, there are several options available to you. You may be able to donate skin, bone, healthy cells from bone marrow and umbilical cord blood, amnion, or blood (white and red blood cells, and platelets). Skin donation can occur after surgeries like a tummy tuck, while bone donation can occur after knee and hip replacements. Healthy cells from bone marrow and umbilical cord blood are another option. Amnion can be donated after childbirth, and blood donation is always needed. It’s important to note that you can donate blood or bone marrow more than once, as the body replenishes these resources over time.
minutes to add someone to the transplant waitlist
In your journey toward becoming a living organ donor, contacting a transplant center and speaking with a living donor coordinator can be immensely helpful. These professionals can guide you through the evaluation process and provide necessary support if you choose to proceed with the donation. Moreover, completing a thorough medical evaluation, including blood tests, urine tests, imaging scans, and psychological evaluations, can help determine your suitability as a donor.
How can I begin the process of becoming a donor?
If you are interested in donating an organ, the process starts at a transplant hospital.
If you want to donate to someone you know, such as a family member, friend, or co-worker, ask that person to contact their transplant hospital.
If you want to get tested before telling the transplant candidate, talk to their transplant hospital. Many transplant hospitals will test you without telling the transplant candidate.
If you want to donate an organ to someone you do not know, call a transplant hospital near you to learn more about the process.
Can someone from the transplant center assist me with the process?
If you are interested in donating an organ, the transplant hospital staff will evaluate you. If you and the staff agree that evaluation is necessary, you will be put in touch with an independent living donor advocate.
The role of an independent living donor advocate is to protect you and your best interests. They will ensure that you have the necessary information and time to make informed decisions about donating. The advocate will also inform you of the risks and benefits of living donation, and help you walk away if you decide that it’s not the right choice for you.
The independent living donor advocate will provide you with information about consent, evaluation, medical and psychosocial risks, financial risks, the surgery, recovery, and medical follow-up. They encourage you to share any concerns or thoughts you may have so that they can better support you and help you make the right decision.
Rest assured that the independent living donor advocate will not share your medical information without your consent.
To start the testing process, you must agree to be tested and provide your health information.
When you contact a transplant hospital for organ donation, a staff member specializing in living donors will explain the donation process to you and request your health information. Your consent initiates the evaluation process. The way the hospital collects your health information may vary, such as online, over the phone, or in person. Your responses help the transplant hospital team determine if you can proceed to the next step. In some cases, minor health issues may not necessarily disqualify you from donating. Keep in mind that different transplant hospitals may have different opinions regarding certain health issues and their associated risks.
You and the transplant hospital will initiate a thorough evaluation process to determine if you are a suitable candidate for the transplant.
Please keep in mind the following information:
If you are interested in donating an organ, you will need to go through a thorough evaluation process to ensure that you are a suitable candidate for the transplant. This process is designed to protect you and the potential recipient of the transplant, and to increase the chances of a positive outcome.
During the evaluation process, the transplant team will ask you various questions about your life, such as why you want to donate, how you think it will affect your life and your family, whether you can afford the non-medical expenses like travel, who will help you afterwards, and if you have any risky behaviors or habits.
Some of the questions may be personal, but it is important to answer them honestly so that the transplant team can determine if donation is safe and appropriate for you.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask. The living donor team is here to answer all of your questions and address any concerns you may have. You may also want to bring a family member or friend with you to the evaluation process.
Can you please provide me with a list of tests I must undergo during my evaluation?
To ensure that you are healthy enough to donate, you will need to undergo a series of tests. These tests are conducted to safeguard your well-being. Some of the tests also help assess the likelihood of a successful transplant outcome if you choose to become a living donor. Your medical information and test results are kept confidential. As per the law, transplant hospitals cannot share your medical information with the transplant recipient unless you allow them to do so.
Below is a list of tests that living donors are typically required to take. Each test is described in detail:
- Psychosocial evaluation
- Blood tests
- Heart and lung tests
- Tests of the organs being donated
- Routine Health tests
Psychosocial evaluation
Please take note of the following information regarding living organ donation:
- Routine Health Tests and Psychosocial Evaluation are necessary steps in the process of living organ donation.
- During psychosocial evaluation, members of the Living Donor team will ask you questions that will help you and the transplant hospital staff determine whether living donation is suitable for you.
- Some examples of the questions that will be asked are:
- Why do you want to donate?
- Do you feel pressured by anyone to donate?
- How well do you understand the process, risks, and benefits of donation?
- Will donating affect your job or finances?
- How might donating affect other aspects of your life, such as caring for a child or a parent?
- Who will be available to assist you during your recovery?
- What are your family’s thoughts on your donation?
- Do you have any mental health issues that could be exacerbated by donating?
- How do you anticipate feeling after the donation?
Blood tests
Blood tests are essential for the staff at a transplant hospital to evaluate your health and determine whether you are a suitable match for a transplant recipient. These tests help to ascertain your blood type compatibility with the recipient, which is crucial for a successful transplant.
| Donor blood type | Recipient blood type |
|---|---|
| O compatible with: | O, A, B, and AB |
| A compatible with: | A and AB |
| B compatible with: | B and AB |
| AB compatible with: | AB |
Blood type compatibility is essential in organ transplantation. Four blood types are O, A, B, and AB. Blood type A is compatible with A and AB, blood type B is compatible with B and AB, and blood type AB is compatible only with AB.
Tissue typing is a blood test to check the match between a transplant candidate and the recipient. It helps the transplant hospital staff in taking care of the recipient. Even if the tissue match is not perfect, the recipient can still have a successful transplant due to medications that prevent organ rejection.
Cross-matching is another blood test that checks for factors that increase the risk of organ rejection by the recipient.
Transmissible diseases are also checked through blood tests to identify any infections or conditions a living donor could spread to the transplant recipient.
Heart and lung tests
- A chest x-ray, an electrocardiogram, and other tests will be conducted to ensure that you are healthy enough to be a donor.
Tests of the organ you wish to donate
- Before you can become an organ donor, various tests will be conducted to ensure that you are healthy enough. These tests will include a CT or MRI scan to examine the organ you wish to donate. If you are donating a kidney, you will also undergo blood and urine tests to assess your kidney health. In the case of liver donation, additional tests may be required.
Routine tests depending on your age and the tests you have had in the past
- Additional tests may be needed, including routine tests based on age and past medical history, colonoscopies, skin cancer screenings, and gender-specific exams. However, not all transplant hospitals require these tests.
It takes a considerable amount of time to complete all the required medical tests for organ donation. In case you are planning to donate to someone who is in a hospital located far away, there might be an option to perform some of the medical tests closer to your home. We recommend you discuss the available options with the transplant hospital staff.
Finding a recipient is another significant factor to consider. While some donors donate altruistically, many prefer to donate to a family member, a friend, or another designated recipient already on the transplant waiting list. Understanding the various options available and considering the relationships and connections you have can help inform your decision.
To whom may I donate an organ?
If you want to donate an organ, there are two ways to do it. One is called directed donation, which is when you give an organ to a specific person. This person can be a blood relative, such as a parent, sibling, or adult child. It can also be someone who is close to you, like a friend, co-worker, or spouse. Sometimes people donate to someone they heard about but don’t know personally.
The other way to donate an organ is called non-directed donation. This is when you want to donate but don’t know the person who will receive your organ. In this case, you can donate to someone on the transplant waitlist who needs your organ. Sometimes people start the process to donate to a friend or family member but later decide to donate to a stranger.
A transplant hospital can match a non-directed donor to a transplant candidate who is a match. Sometimes, a match happens through a paired kidney exchange. Kidney-paired donation helps more transplants happen. That process will be explained later.
Some non-directed donors wish to meet their transplant recipient. Sometimes that happens, and sometimes it does not. It is a personal choice. The transplant hospital will help make a meeting happen only if the living organ donor and recipient wish to meet.
life-saving transplants were a success in 2023
million people are estimated to have Chronic Kidney Disease in the US
What if I want to donate my kidney to someone specific, but we are not a match?
Have you ever wanted to donate your kidney to someone in need but found out that you are not medically compatible with them? This could be due to different blood types or other test results that indicate a high risk of rejection for the donated kidney. However, there are still ways you can donate and help someone in need.
One of the available options is called Kidney Paired Donation (KPD). KPD involves using a computer to match donors and recipients to form compatible pairs, somewhat like an exchange or swap. Here’s how it works:
- If you want to donate a kidney to someone but, unfortunately, you are not medically compatible with them.
- Another person also wants to donate a kidney to someone, but they are not compatible with their intended recipient either.
- A computer matches you with a compatible recipient and their donor matches with the person you originally wanted to help.
- Swapping donors allows both transplants to happen, resulting in two successful kidney transplants.
KPD is an excellent option that helps hundreds of people every year receive the kidney they need. By choosing to participate in KPD, you can still help someone in need, even if you are not medically compatible with them.
It is crucial to allow yourself sufficient time to decide on organ donation. Donating an organ is a substantial decision with lifelong implications and potential risks. Therefore, it is recommended to discuss your thoughts and concerns with loved ones, carefully weigh your options, and not feel pressured or rushed into making a choice. Remember that the entire process, from evaluation to donation, can take several months, and it is vital to prioritize your safety and well-being throughout.
Becoming a living organ donor is a commendable act that requires informed decision-making and thorough preparation. By educating yourself, prioritizing your health, considering the specific organ you wish to donate, seeking guidance from transplant centers, and taking the time to make a well-considered decision, you can ensure that you are making a positive impact on someone else’s life while safeguarding your well-being.
The National Kidney Registry (NKR) can help you donate a kidney through one of their member centers. There are different options for donation, including donating to a family member (family voucher), donating to someone on the waiting list (standard voucher), or participating in a kidney paired exchange program.
