Kidney Donors
Why Donate
Living kidney donation is one of the most profound ways to put faith into action. Across many traditions, the call to “love your neighbor” or “save a life” is a cornerstone of spiritual and communal practice.
What to Expect
Becoming a donor isn’t a process you go through alone. "From the moment you express interest, you are supported by a dedicated living donor team in your local transplant center or national facilitating organization. The process generally takes shape in three steps:
The Evaluation: You’ll undergo a series of comprehensive health screenings, including blood work, imaging, physical and psychological exams to ensure that donation is safe for you.
The Procedure: The surgery is typically performed laparoscopically (using small incisions), which minimizes pain and scarring and speeds recovery. Most donors remain in the hospital under supervision for 1-3 days following the procedure.
The Recovery: Most donors are back to their normal routines in 2-4 weeks. Remarkably, your remaining kidney compensates; it typically increases function to take on the work previously shared by two kidneys.
Is it safe?
Yes, years of experience confirm that living kidney donation is safe, statistically safer than an appendectomy.
Most people are born with two kidneys but only need one to live a full, healthy life. About 1 in 1,000 babies are born with one kidney and live long lives. Long-term studies indicate that most living kidney donors actually tend to live longer than non-donors because they are so healthy.
Qualifying as a living kidney donor requires you to be very healthy. You will receive the most thorough medical workup of your life when you are evaluated at no cost to you. If any unknown health issue is discovered, you will be advised on how to resolve it before being cleared to donate. Because all living kidney donors are in excellent health when they donate, the laparoscopic procedure in experienced hands is safer than an appendectomy. While all surgeries carry risk, complications in kidney donation are rare. Kidney donors have a small chance of developing new health issues, including slightly higher blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney failure.
All medical decisions should be made in consultation with your doctor and transplant team.
How it Works
-
Kidney Paired Exchange
If you are willing to donate but are not a match for your intended recipient, the story does not end there. You can donate your kidney to someone who matches you, and in exchange, your intended recipient will receive a kidney that matches them—a kidney "swap."
-
Direct Donation
You give your kidney directly to someone you know—a family member, a friend, a fellow congregant. This is the most familiar form of living donation, a direct act of love from one person to another.
-
Non-Directed Donation
You choose to donate a kidney to whoever needs it most, without specifying a recipient.
All living kidney donors are altruistic - often called heroes by transplant centers - and every faith tradition has its own way of honoring such profound generosity.
What it costs, who pays, and who can help with expenses
All medical costs for donating a kidney are covered by the recipient’s insurance, whether private or Medicare. Donors may incur out-of-pocket expenses such as child care, work leave, and travel. Fortunately, there are resources to help: the National Living Donor Assistance Center, the Donor Shield program of the National Kidney Registry, the DonorProtect program of the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation, all expenses for donors through Renewal, and state resources. There are several bills in Congress to compensate donors for these expenses through a tax credit, but as yet none have passed. Call your representative to encourage them to support compensating living kidney donors for this lifesaving act!
Where to connect to begin the screening process
To Save One Life is an educational campaign. While we do not conduct screenings ourselves, we recommend you start by talking to your primary care physician and then continue the process through one of these reputable organizations: