Patients

You are not alone. The kidney you need is out there.

Finding a Living Donor

Searching for a donor isn’t just about asking for an organ – it’s about sharing your story and inviting your community to be part of a life-saving miracle.

Three strategies for finding your donor

1

Identify a Living Donor Champion.

A champion is someone close to you. It can be a spouse, a sibling, a close friend, or a fellow member of your congregation. Most importantly, it’s someone who advocates on your behalf. They spread the word among your family, friends, and community. They learn enough about kidney donation to answer questions from people who might want to consider it. Your job is to focus on your health. Your champion's job is to find your donor.

2

Spread the word.

You don't need to ask anyone directly for a kidney. But you do need to let people know that you need one. Share your story in your community, in your congregation, and through social media. The more people who know, the more likely it is that someone will step forward.

3

Broaden your ask.

Most patients searching for a donor make the same mistake: they ask for someone with a specific blood type. With paired donation, that unnecessarily limits your pool. The right ask is broader.

Instead of: "If you have O+ blood type, please contact us about donating to [name]."

Try: "If you or someone you know is willing to be part of a Kidney Paired Donation program — ANY blood type — please reach out. Your willingness can save a life."

Questions to ask your transplant center

When you are evaluating a transplant center, the most important question you can ask is also one of the simplest:

"Do you have a kidney paired donation program? Do you work with a national kidney paired donation program?"

The answer can help you and your medical team understand what options are available to you. Every transplant center makes its own decisions about which programs to participate in, and your care team is best positioned to walk you through what that means for your specific situation.

How TSOL Helps

To Save One Life mobilizes faith communities — and that is how we help you.

When houses of worship across the country educate their members about living kidney donation, awareness grows. More people understand kidney paired donation. More people consider becoming living donors. And the pool of willing donors expands — for you, for your loved one, and for the nearly 95,000 Americans currently in need.

If your house of worship is not yet a To Save One Life partner, we can connect with them and provide everything they need to educate your community about kidney donation. Sometimes one person's need becomes the catalyst for a community-wide conversation that helps far more than one family.

The faith community is already built on the foundations of compassion and stewardship. Our campaign is the place where faith communities mobilize and educate to end the kidney shortage. When people have the information, some will choose to act on it.

Resources

We invite you to visit the following resources and organizations to learn more about the kidney donation process and how you can get the support you need.

  • Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)

  • National Kidney Foundation (NKF)

  • National Kidney Donation Organization (NKDO)

  • Renewal

  • UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing)