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National Donor Life Month Celebrated every April, the event raises awareness about organ and tissue donation and educates Americans about Register as a donorDonate Life Month also celebrates those who save lives through the gift of organ donation.
More than 100,000 people are waiting for transplants, but there aren't enough donors to meet the demand: in 2021, 6,000 people died in the United States while on the transplant waiting list. According to Donate Life America:On the positive side, approximately 6,500 lives were saved through living organ donation in 2022.
In this blog, we explain living organ donation and how you can register to save a life.
What can a living donor offer?
While you're alive, you can donate one kidney or parts of other organs, such as the liver, lungs, pancreas, or intestines. Living donors can also donate tissues, such as healthy cells from skin, bone, and bone marrow, as well as blood and platelets.
Kidney donations are needed most: 85% of people on the organ transplant list need a kidney. According to the Health Resources and Services AdministrationThe liver is the next most important organ.
Learn more about living donors from Donate Life America
Who can be a living donor?
There are certain donor requirements, but anyone over the age of 18 can be a living donor. Living donors must be in good health, both physically and mentally, and must understand the risks and benefits of being a living donor.
A donor can be a parent, child, sibling, relative, or friend of someone who needs an organ or tissue. You can also donate an organ to someone you've never met. About 25 percent of organ donations in the United States involve donors and recipients who do not know each other.
Certain medical conditions may prevent you from becoming a living donor. These include:
However, no medical condition necessarily precludes organ donation, and potential organ donors are considered on an individual basis.
It is important that potential living donors share all their medical information, both physical and medical.
Learn more about who can be a living donor
What are the risks of living organ donation?
Living organ donors usually do well after organ donation and can continue living their lives as normal. Like any major medical procedure, organ donation surgery can involve risks.
Short-term effects include pain and infection at the incision site, while long-term effects include high blood pressure for kidney donors and intestinal problems for liver donors.
Learn more about medical and psychological risks from the United Network for Organ Donation
What are the different types of living organ donation?
Designated Donations
Directed donation is when a living donor designates a specific person to receive a transplant. This is the most common type of living donation. In this case, the living donor is usually a relative or friend of the person needing a transplant. The donor can also be an unrelated person who hears about the need of the transplant candidate.
If you want to help someone you know, talk to them and contact the transplant program they are listed in.
Read the story of an identical twin who donated his kidney to his sister at the University of California, Davis Health Center.
Non-Directed Donations
In non-directed organ donation, living donors are matched with people on the national transplant waiting list based on medical suitability. If you would like to become a living non-directed donor, Transplant hospitals on this listThis includes the Transplant Center at UC Davis Health.
Read: Donor and recipient meet for first time in eight-way 'chain' kidney transplant at UC Davis Medical Center
How do I become a living donor?
If you know someone who would like to donate their organs, ask them to contact their transplant hospital.
If you want to donate to someone you don't know, Transplant Hospital Talk to your local doctor. If you are interested in becoming a living kidney donor at UC Davis Health, call the Living Donor Transplant Office at 916-734-2307.
Please complete the UC Davis Transplant Center Living Donor Questionnaire
Once I register as a living donor, what steps do I need to take?
To make sure you are healthy enough to donate, transplant hospital staff will collect a lot of information about you, including:
- Undergoing physical exams, laboratory tests, and screening for cancer and other diseases
- Answering questions about your medical history
- Get a mental health evaluation
- Answering questions about social support
- Discuss your financial situation and whether you can take time off from work or other responsibilities
- Learn about the risks and benefits of living organ donation
Learn more about living kidney donation at the UC Davis Transplant Center
What is the surgery and recovery like for living donors?
The surgery takes place in a transplant hospital. Kidney donors usually stay in the hospital for 2-3 days, while liver donors stay in the hospital for about 5 days.
Kidney donors can drive a car about 2 weeks after surgery. Liver donors can drive a car 2-4 weeks. Kidney donors can lift more than 15 pounds about 6 weeks to 3 months. Liver donors can lift more than 15 pounds 2-3 months later.
But every donor is different. Some are able to return to normal life sooner than others. Some donors even feel fatigued for quite a long time after donating. Either way, it's important to have a support system to help you through it for as long as you need it.
All living donors are required to undergo certain tests 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. These tests vary depending on the transplant hospital. Even if you feel well, the tests and follow-up are very important. Also, follow-up gives transplant hospitals information that can help future donors.
Read more: How will you feel after living organ donation?
What are the advantages to the recipient of a living versus deceased organ donation?
Living organ donation allows recipients to avoid a three- to five-year wait on the deceased donor list.
For people who need a kidney, a transplant can be planned before dialysis is needed, allowing the donated kidney to function longer. Living donor kidney transplants are planned and timed to ensure the best conditions for the recipient.
From UC Davis Health: 38-year-old man killed in car crash saves four lives
What does it cost to be a living donor?
The transplant recipient's insurance will cover the living donor's medical expenses, which include evaluation, surgery, and some follow-up tests and visits.
However, living donors are responsible for covering the costs of any routine health care or medical clearances that may be required, and donors may be responsible for follow-up services if medical issues arise as a result of organ donation.
Living donors typically pay for travel, accommodation, food, childcare, and compensation for time away from work. National Living Donor Support Center Financial assistance may be available for non-medical expenses related to your donation.
Read more: Overcoming financial obstacles for living donors
