Frequently asked questions

Yes. Living donors can give a kidney, a segment of the liver (which regenerates in weeks), a lung lobe, or certain tissues. The vast majority of living donations are kidneys, and donors live a completely normal life with one kidney.

No. All donor medical costs are covered by the recipient’s insurance or the public health system. The NKR’s Donor Shield program additionally reimburses up to $30,000 USD in related expenses: lost wages (up to $2,000/week for 12 weeks), travel, lodging, meals, dependent care, and pet care.

There is no absolute age limit. Living kidney donors have successfully donated from age 18 to 80+. Eligibility is determined case by case based on the donor’s overall health, kidney function, and a complete medical evaluation.

Living kidney donors who donate through the NKR receive Donor Shield: if they ever need a transplant, they jump to the top of the NKR living donor list. This is one of the 13 Donor Shield protections.

Not necessarily. If you are not compatible with the person you want to help, two options exist: (1) Voucher Program, which matches you with another incompatible donor-recipient pair, and (2) Voucher Program, which lets you donate now and generate a voucher a loved one can redeem when they need it.

Donor Shield is the NKR’s donor protection program, available only at its 102 member centers. It includes 13 components: lost wage reimbursement (up to $24K), travel expense reimbursement (up to $6K), lifetime prioritization, donation voucher, remote donation, donor mentors, eplet-based DNA matching, legal support, complication protection, streamlined process, home blood draws, life insurance support, and pet care. Combined cap: $30,000 USD with no income cap.

It is an NKR program that lets you donate a kidney now and generate a voucher in the name of a loved one (typically a young child, partner, or relative who does not yet need a transplant). If that person ever needs a kidney, the voucher grants them top priority on the NKR list. It never expires. There are three types: Standard Voucher, Family Voucher, and Swap Saver.

Laparoscopic surgery takes 2-3 hours. Hospital stay: 1-3 days. Most donors return to normal activities in 2-4 weeks. Office work can resume in 2-3 weeks; intense physical work, in 6-8 weeks. FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) protects up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave.

Risks are low but real. Perioperative mortality: 0.03% (3 in 10,000). Major complications: 1-3% (bleeding, infection, blood clots). Long-term: living kidney donors have a life expectancy and quality of life similar to the general population, with a slightly lower risk of kidney disease thanks to the continuous medical follow-up they receive.

It depends. Type 1 diabetes is usually disqualifying. Well-controlled type 2 diabetes, controlled hypertension on medication, and other minor conditions may be acceptable on a case-by-case basis. The full medical evaluation (blood work, urinalysis, imaging, specialist consultations) determines final eligibility.

Under federal law (ACA section 2719A), health insurers cannot deny you coverage, raise your premium, or exclude you for being a living donor. Life insurers may do so in some states, but Donor Shield component 12 from Donor Shield provides free legal support if an insurer discriminates against you.

It is illegal in the US to discriminate against an employee for donating an organ. FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) gives you up to 12 weeks of unpaid medical leave with job protection. Donor Shield additionally reimburses up to $24,000 in lost wages during recovery.

Yes. In the US, immigration status is not a donor eligibility criterion. Requirements are being 18+ years old, legally competent, and medically suitable. Some centers may ask for a Social Security number or ID, but it is not a universal legal requirement.

A single deceased donor can save up to 8 lives (donating heart, lungs, liver, 2 kidneys, pancreas, intestines) and improve more than 75 (with tissues: corneas, skin, bone, heart valves, tendons). In 2023, deceased donors in the US saved 21,200 lives with kidney transplants alone.

Organs: heart, lungs, liver, kidneys (2), pancreas, intestines. Tissues: corneas, skin, bone, heart valves, tendons, blood vessels, bone marrow. A deceased person can donate multiple organs and tissues to different recipients.

In the US, registration is by state. The most common ways: (1) when you get or renew your driver’s license/ID at the DMV, (2) online at registerme.org, (3) through your state’s health app. It takes 5 minutes. Important: tell your family, because they are consulted at the time and their confirmation helps the process.

The vast majority of religions approve or consider donation an act of charity: Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam (most juridical schools), Judaism (with some Orthodox exceptions), Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism. If you have questions, consult your spiritual leader. The official position of each denomination is available from your country’s donation and transplant network.

Yes. Altruistic or non-directed donation (to a stranger) is legal, ethical, and medically accepted. In 2023, about 20% of living donors in the US were altruistic. You can also donate to an acquaintance, colleague, or community member without kinship. The Voucher Program has greatly expanded this option.

A kidney chain occurs when a donor is not compatible with their intended recipient, but their kidney matches another recipient in the network, whose donor in turn matches a third, forming a chain. The longest chain recorded by the NKR (Chain 357) involved 35 transplants, 70 surgeries, and 25 medical centers — a Guinness record in 2015. Each chain saves dozens of lives that would otherwise never find a match.

Three steps: (1) Find the nearest NKR center — 102 across 35 states + DC, browse them at Find an NKR center. (2) Contact the center and say you want to be a living donor; they will assign a coordinator. (3) Ask about the Donor Shield program from the first contact. The initial medical evaluation is free and the process, while it takes several months, is designed to protect you first.