For people living with end-stage kidney disease or kidney failure, a kidney transplant offers freedom from dialysis and a return to normal activities. But the need for kidney transplants far outweighs the number of donors. Many patients spend years on the kidney transplant list. If you are facing end-stage kidney failure, you can improve your outlook by finding a living kidney donor.
Every week at Penn Medicine, we receive applications through our Living Donor Kidney Transplant program from people who want to become living kidney donors. Many of them reach out after seeing stories on the news or social media about people who need a kidney. If you put your story out there, someone might answer your call.
Should You Pursue Living Kidney Donation?
Living donation is the best option for reversing end-stage kidney failure. The advantages of receiving a living kidney donor transplant over a deceased donor transplant include:
- Better match, especially if you receive a kidney from a family member
- Faster recovery, because a living donor kidney usually starts working right away
- Longer lasting kidney, because living donor kidneys last twice as long as kidneys from deceased donors
- Shorter time on the transplant waiting list and receiving dialysis
Is It Hard to Find a Kidney Match?
With today's options for kidney transplantation, your donor doesn't have to be a match. Through our participation in the National Kidney Registry, you and your donor can have a paired exchange.
With paired exchange, we match your donor's kidney with a suitable recipient. In return, you receive a kidney from a donor who is a better match for you.
How to Find a Kidney Donor
Finding a kidney donor requires time and energy. You will need an outreach team to work on your behalf and champion your cause. This may include your spouse, family members or close friends. As you and your team develop a strategy to get the word out, your main goals are to:
Tell Your Story
Stories are a way to connect with potential donors. Your story is unique and powerful and may resonate with a friend, colleague or stranger. Some tips for telling your story include:
- Write it down
- Describe your kidney disease and the challenges of living with kidney failure
- Describe why you need a transplant and what it would mean to you
- Read it aloud and edit as needed
- Share it with a few people who are close to you and ask them to give you feedback
Educate Potential Donors
Most people hearing your story won't know anything about kidney donation. You should provide information and resources so they can learn more about the process. Some important things potential donors should know about kidney donation include:
- Kidney donation surgery is extremely safe.
- You can live a full and normal life with only one kidney.
- You can donate a kidney even if you and your recipient are not a match.
- As a donor, in the unlikely event you need a kidney in the future, you move to the top of the transplant list.
- The team at Penn Medicine provides comprehensive education about the donation process and evaluation to ensure donation is safe for the potential donor.
Ask for the Donation
You may find asking for help challenging. Having a friend or family member ask on your behalf can be easier. But donors may not step up unless you ask.
Ideas for Getting the Word Out
Some strategies for connecting with potential donors include:
- Contact your local TV and radio stations
- Create your own website or hashtag
- Explore crowdfunding
- Make t-shirts
- Organize an event
- Put up signs on your car or lawn
- Reach out to people from your religious organization, school and social groups and ask them to included your story in their newsletter
- Send letters
- Share on social media
- Talk to your family, friends and coworkers
Learn more about living kidney donation and finding a donor by watching our Penn Transplant Institute Education Session: The Living Donor Experience.
How the National Kidney Registry Can Help Find a Kidney Donor
The National Kidney Registry offers patients seeking a living donor a free personal website called a microsite. The website is easy to set up and share via email and social media. The National Kidney Registry also sends you 250 business cards that you can hand out to people you meet.
To get started, ask your Penn Medicine Transplant Coordinator to invite you to set up a microsite.
Why One Woman Chose to Donate a Kidney to a Stranger
Though circumstances didn't allow her to have kids, Nancy Rowe found another way to bring life into the world through kidney donation. Read Nancy's story.
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