You need a kidney.

Can a family member or friend help you?

You have been referred to our program because you need a kidney transplant. Often, people who need a kidney have to wait until a cadaveric organ is donated, a decision made by a family after a loved one suffers complete and irreversible loss of brain function or brain death.  This is a noble and generous act.  Unfortunately, the need for organs is far greater than the supply and many patients face a long waiting time.  Currently, over 52,000 people in this country are waiting for a kidney transplant and each month, approximately 2,000 more names are added to the list.  This unfortunate situation means that you might wait three years (or more) to receive a cadaveric kidney.

You do have an option, and it is a better one:  receive a kidney from a living donor.  This donor might be a family member, spouse, or a friend, and it might surprise you how many people are willing to help.  In the year 2000, 5,300 of the more than 13,000 kidney transplants performed in the United States involved living donors.  At OSU Medical Center, 107 living donor transplants were performed during the year.

Why should you consider seeking this one-of-a-kind gift?
A living donor transplant is typically very successful. A kidney from a living donor is in “perfect” condition; this is assured due to extensive evaluation of the donor.  Also, a kidney from a living donor does not require preservation time – it is walked from one operating room to another and thirty minutes later, it is working in its new home! 

If you seek a donor early in your illness, before you’ve been on dialysis for an extended period of time, you have less risk of transplant failure than someone who is transplanted after long-term dialysis.  Unfortunately, the longer you wait for a transplant, the harder it is for your body to recover.

With living donation, both the recipient and the living donor can be in optimal health at the time of the surgery. The transplant can be scheduled at the convenience of all persons involved.

Who can donate a kidney to you?

A donor can be anyone whose blood type is compatible with yours and is in good physical condition and generally healthy¾free from high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease and heart disease. Gender and race do not matter and individuals considered for living donation are typically between the ages of 18 and 60.

What should you tell a potential donor?

The safety of the donor is of the utmost importance.  You can tell your donor that he or she will be evaluated by a kidney specialist to confirm suitability and safety for donation and surgery.  You can assure the candidate that donating a kidney will not cause illness or disease.

Once a donor has recovered from the surgery, he or she is able to return to a normal lifestyle. As a matter of fact, the life expectancy of living donors is the same as if they had not donated.  The remaining single kidney is able to meet the body’s needs very well. It actually enlarges to do the work formerly shared by both kidneys. 

If your donor is a woman who wishes to have children in the future, tell her that studies have shown that kidney donation does not affect completion of a safe pregnancy.

The operation may be done as laparoscopic surgery, which involves a smaller incision, requires a shorter hospital stay, and allows for a faster recovery.  Typically, the hospital stay for a living kidney donor is two to four days.

There are always possible risks with any surgery; however, these are reduced by the extensive evaluation done on all donors.

Who pays for the surgery?

For the living donor, there is no out-of-pocket cost.  All fees are covered.  For you, the recipient, the transplant staff members will review your insurance coverage, and discuss financial issues with you.  It is possible that you may have some out-of-pocket expenses.

A pre-transplant financial counselor is available to answer any questions you or your donor may have.

Some quotes from living donors:

“Best decision I ever made.”

-Christie DeBorde, young mother who donated kidney to her baby son

“There was no questioning my decision to donate. My mother-in-law was getting sicker and I knew if she received a new kidney it would make her better and give her the freedom back that she once had. My entire family was in support of the decision. To them it was a way to give grandma life and hope.”

-Connie Cassidy, who donated a kidney to her mother-in-law, Rita

“When I saw him walk into my room for the first time, it made me feel like I had done something so special. I feel very blessed to have been able to be healthy enough to do this for my Dad. It’s not often as children that we get to express our love and thanks to our parents for all they do for us. This was just a small gesture of giving to my Dad for all the things he’s done for me in my life.”

-Andrea Cline, who donated a kidney to her father, Jimmy Harris

Some quotes from surgeons here at Ohio State:

“There’s no place in life, with the exception of organ donation, where you are going to find someone giving part of themselves to someone else to make them better.”

-Dr. Ronald Ferguson, Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery

“I tell my patients that living-related organ donation allows you to get your loved one back.”

-Dr. Elizabeth Davies, Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery

“The availability of laparoscopic kidney removal for living donors has led to a greater willingness by potential donors to step forward and undergo the procedure in order to help a loved one.”

-Dr. Ronald Pelletier, Assistant Professor, Surgery

Questions?

If you have questions about the advantages of receiving a kidney from a living donor, or would like to talk to a staff member in the Pre-Transplant Office, please call (614) 293-6724 or (800) 293-8965.

You can also learn more about living donor transplantation on these web sites:

·       United Network for Organ Sharing

·        National Kidney Foundation , www.living-donors.org