Interested in donating a kidney?
Kidney Donation Facts
Donating a kidney is a very personal decision, and some people may hesitate to become a living donor because they’ve heard incorrect information about the kidney donation process. Every year, thousands of living donors donate a healthy kidney to a person who has kidney disease, saving them from years of waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor, going through dialysis and complications associated with kidney failure. The average wait from a deceased donor is 3-5 years, and waiting for a transplant can be an emotional roller coaster.
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Kidney donors CAN live a normal life after donation and, in fact, they actually tend to live a longer, better quality of life because they tend to take better care of themselves post-donation.
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Kidney donors can range in age, starting at the age of 18 and until they are 70 years old.
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Kidney donors do NOT need to be the same age as their recipient nor do they have to be the same sex.
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Kidney donors do NOT have to take medications for the rest of their life.
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Most living donors have laparoscopic surgery which means a faster recovery and less pain.
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The typical hospital stay for donors is 1-2 nights and a full recovery takes about 4-6 weeks.