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5 Big Benefits of Living Donation for the Donor

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You probably have heard of the enormous benefits of a living vs. deceased-donor kidney for the recipient, but did you know that there are real benefits to the donor, too?

For family members or couples, they are nothing short of dramatic:
1. Helping a loved one is an amazing feeling: To see a loved one who’s been pale, weak, and often listless for many months or years gradually become their old self again is pretty powerful. Before I donated my kidney to my son in 2006, his 20 months on dialysis had left him lethargic and depressed; seeing his smile when he came into my hospital room the day after the transplant was unforgettable. Read the full story from National Kidney Foundation here.

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Kidney Brothers Develop Bond for Life

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What happened between two families at Stanford Children’s Health bonded them forever.

While awaiting kidney transplants for their young boys, the two families—one from Hawaii, one from California—became friends. Families often become close during the long hours of dialysis, but they don’t often hear the hopeful news that a donor kidney might be a match on the same day. Read the full story from Stanford Children’s Health here.

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Ability to travel increases access to kidney transplantation, improves long-term survival

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Ability to travel increases a kidney transplant candidate’s access to kidney transplantation and improves the patient’s long-term survival, according to data published in the American Journal of Transplantation.

Further, those who travel for kidney transplantation tend to be white and live in an area with a low poverty rate. Read the complete article in Healio.

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Donors and recipients in six-way kidney transplant meet for first time

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Single donor triggers multiple transplants via ‘paired exchange’ approach

(SACRAMENTO)

The average time a person spends on the waiting list for a kidney transplant is two-and-a-half to three years. But thanks to one selfless individual willing to give life to another, three people in Sacramento did not have to endure that wait. 

Donors and recipients who participated in a six-way ‘chain’ kidney transplant at UC Davis Medical Center had the opportunity to meet one another for the first time at a celebration held during National Donate Life Month. Read the story from UC Davis Health.

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Pulmonary hypertension common in kidney transplant recipients

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Patients with pulmonary hypertension who underwent kidney transplantation had similar posttransplant outcomes at 5 years compared with those without pretransplant pulmonary hypertension, researchers reported in Pulmonary Circulation.

“Pulmonary hypertension more than doubles the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular-specific mortality in those on dialysis, and it increases the risk of adverse perioperative outcomes including death in noncardiac surgeries irrespective of kidney function. 
Read the full article in Healio.

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Roadblocks need to be eliminated to improve access to transplants

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Transplant programs erect several bureaucratic roadblocks that can stall efforts by patients to obtain a kidney transplant, a speaker said at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings.

“We need to get out of the rut created by the organ transplant system,” Eliot C. Heher, MD, founder of Square Knot Health Inc. and previously the medical director of kidney transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in the presentation. Read more of this article on Healio.com here.

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Transplant waiting list

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If you need a kidney transplant, you will need to get on the national transplant waiting list for a deceased donor kidney. Learn how the waiting list works, how long people usually wait and how to choose a transplant center so you can get listed. You can take steps to stay as healthy as possible while you wait for a kidney. Learn more.

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Life after transplant: Rejection prevention and healthy tips

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Learn about life after your transplant, including recovery steps, anti-rejection medicines, mental health, and other healthy living tips.

Getting a kidney transplant can feel like having another chance at life. There are many great things that come after a transplant, like having better health and more freedom to do the things you enjoy. However, it is important to remember a transplant is a treatment for kidney disease, not a cure, and you will need to take special care of yourself, and your transplanted kidney. Use the information on this page to learn more about what to expect and how to stay healthy with your new kidney.

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