Living donation offers recipients superior clinical outcomes, and identifying living donor candidates is an important first step in the process. Once a living donor candidate comes forward, the next step is to provide education and support.
At Penn, we know from helping hundreds of people become living donors that it’s not uncommon for those considering living donation to have some unique questions that are best answered by people who have already donated.
To help connect those considering kidney donation with prior living kidney donors, the Penn Transplant Institute has partnered with National Kidney Donation Organization (NKDO) to offer Donor Connect, a national living donor mentor program. For those considering liver donation, our Living Liver Donor Coordinator, Linda Wood, BSN, RN, carefully matches donor candidates with prior liver donor mentors from Penn.
Mentorship Program Enrollment
“We are excited to offer Donor Connect to our living kidney donor candidates,” said Amanda Leonberg-Yoo, MD, Medical Director of the Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program. “Donor Connect augments the donor education our clinical team provides and offers special, peer-to-peer support to those considering kidney donation.”
Living kidney donor candidates are automatically enrolled in the program and matched with mentors at the beginning of the evaluation process. Living kidney donor candidates can then choose how often they’d like to connect with their mentor. Mentoring is tailored to the donor candidate’s needs and it’s also possible for kidney donor candidates to opt out of the mentor program at any time.
“As a mentor, I offer donor candidates a safe place to ask questions and discuss any apprehensions they may have,” said Kelly Schmitt, a living kidney donor who is now a mentor in the Donor Connect Program. “I love that my experience as a living kidney donor can now benefit others who are considering living donation. It’s a great feeling to support people in their decision-making process around one of the most important decisions a person can make in their lifetime.”
Evaluation Process
Liver donor candidates are also invited early in the donation evaluation process to consider being connected with a liver donor mentor. To assist with forging beneficial connections, whenever possible, liver donor candidates are matched with donor mentors by age and life circumstances.
“From the first appointment at Penn, living liver donors are offered the opportunity to talk with a living liver donor,” said Living Liver Donor Coordinator, Linda Wood. “We also connect living liver transplant recipients and their donors with waitlisted liver transplant patients as these patients may find it challenging to identify potential living donors. It’s very rewarding to see how helpful and meaningful it is for living donors to share their experiences with donor candidates and listed patients.”
Therese Bittermann, MD, Medical Director of the Penn Living Liver Donor Program added that “liver donors consistently share that the education and support they received from their donor mentor was one of the most important aspects of their journey. Recognizing the value of this program, they are thrilled to become future donor mentors themselves and share their experience.”
How to Apply
Interested in learning more information about the Living Donor Mentor programs? Contact your Living Donor Transplant Coordinator through MyPennMedicine or by calling 215-662-6200. For additional information about the living kidney donor evaluation process visit the Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program. To start the living kidney or living liver donor evaluation process visit our transplant donor screening page.