About kidney donation
Kidney donors are usually between 18 and 70 years of age and have blood and tissue types compatible with the recipient. They must be healthy and have excellent kidney function. Most often the living donor is a close relative of the recipient, though through Renewal, an increasing number of donors do not know their recipient. Donating a kidney will not cause illness or disease.
Live kidney donation typically offers the recipient:
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A shorter wait for a new kidney.
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A better match and less chance of rejection.
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The ability to plan the surgery on an elective basis, rather than as an emergency procedure whenever a kidney becomes available.
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65% of potential donors are compatible with strangers.
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If at any point in life a kidney donor needs to have a kidney transplant, his/her name gets bumped up on the waiting list.
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Kidney failure usually injures both kidneys together. So one should not worry what will happen once one donates a kidney and is only left with one.
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Donors do not need to take any life-long medication nor are they restricted with their diet.
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Donors usually go back to their normal life 2-6 weeks after the transplant.
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Being a donor does not impact a person’s ability to have a child.
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All medical expenses are covered by the recipient’s insurance.
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Non-medical expenses such as lost wages, child care, home care and travel costs that are incurred because of the donation process are covered by Renewal.
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The best kidney match usually comes from (in order of compatibility): children or siblings, parents, living relatives, living strangers, deceased donors.
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Life insurance companies do not consider kidney donation a liability.
Read some of the accounts of our kidney donors here