New York Times (Letter to the Editor): The state of Organ Donation

The conversation about how we fix the organ donation shortage must go beyond deceased donation. Living organ donation deserves far more attention.

I became a living kidney donor when my wife needed a transplant. I ultimately donated through a paired kidney exchange after discovering that I was not a direct match for her. That experience showed me firsthand how living donation can change someone’s life without endangering the life of the donor. The laparoscopic surgery is generally safer than an appendectomy.

Too few Americans understand that living kidney donation is an option available to healthy adults. If we are serious about helping people waiting for kidneys, expanding awareness of living donation — especially indirect paired exchanges — must be a much bigger part of the solution.

Ron Wolfson
Los Angeles
The writer is an author of “To Save One Life: The Miracle of Living Kidney Donation, Transplantation and How You Can Make It Happen” and a founder of the To Save One Life foundation.

Originally published by The New York Times on September 27, 2026