When You Need a Kidney: What to Know About Live Kidney Donation

Donating a kidney is a huge decision, especially when you’re considering donating to a stranger.

If you saw my recent Facebook post, you know why living kidney donation is so important to my family.

If you didn’t see it, you can check it out here.

If you are thinking about being a living kidney donor for someone in need, I encourage you to read this post and then explore the countless resources you can find online.

You can learn a ton about the process from GW University Hospital and here too: National Kidney Fund

What You Need to Know About Donating a Kidney

Why Kidney Disease is So Important to Us

In 2006 I was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy.

Also known as Berger’s Disease, IgA is an autoimmune kidney disease that causes inflammation in your kidneys.

For most people, it is a relatively slow moving disease and many people live their entire lives with it without developing End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

It was a troubling discovery to make at such a young age and resulted in a high risk pregnancy scenario while carrying my youngest son but, at the end of the day, I have been very responsive to medication and haven’t suffered any loss of kidney function.

Unfortunately, in 2020, shortly before the global pandemic showed its ugly face in America, my younger brother (he was 36 at the time) got ill and found himself admitted to the hospital for several days.

After extensive testing, they discovered he too was suffering from a type of kidney disease known as Focal Segmental glomerulosclerosis.

Unlike IgA, FSG that goes undetected can easily progress to ESRD causing sufferers to lose kidney function and eventually requiring dialysis and/or a transplant to stay live.

My brother, has reached this point.

He is receiving dialysis as he anxiously awaits a kidney donor match.

Unfortunately, because I have kidney disease, I am unable to donate a kidney to him.

Why Live Kidney Donation is Important

Receiving a donation from a living donor can have huge, positive impacts for the recipient.

Columbia University explains that live donor procedures of all types offer better outcomes than deceased donor procedures for these reasons:

Live donor recipients spend less time waiting for a donor organ.
Immediately upon transplantation, 97% of live donor kidneys are fully functional, versus 50-60% of deceased donor kidneys.
Live donor recipients face less risk of organ rejection.

Receiving a donation from a living donor means that patients with End Stage Renal Disease won’t have to spend years sick, in dialysis waiting for a kidney. It also means that their kidney will likely last longer, keeping them healthy and away from going through the donation process again.

You can learn more here: Why Living Donation is Important

Donating a kidney is a relatively low risk experience.

The risk of complications are relatively low and few people suffer surgery or kidney related side effects.

That said, donation, like any surgery, has risks.

Surgery risks including death are extremely low, particularly because you have to be in good health in order to qualify as a living donor.

Recovery time is relatively short (just a few weeks), and most report returning to normal activities with ease.

There are a few things to note.

First, you will lose some kidney function. Kidney donors typically experience a 20 to 30 percent decrease in kidney function, but your remaining kidney will work harder to compensate for the lost one.

Second, you may develop other medical complications. Higher blood pressure, for example, has been noted as a possible long-term side effect to being a kidney donor.

You can read more about the potential complications here: Living Donors Long-Term Risks

You don’t have to pay for it.

And neither does your insurance.

Kidney donation surgery, including screening and post-op, is covered by the insurance of the person receiving your kidney.

There are numerous other expenses to think about, however, including lost wages, time off work, childcare, etc.

Depending on how you donate your kidney, you may be able to take advantage of other programs to help cover your costs. For example, if you donate at an NKR (National Kidney Registry) Donor Shield Center, you would be eligbile for donor shield coverage which includes lost wage reimbursement, travel, lodging and mileage reimbursement, life insurance with a $500k principal sum, and more.

You can learn more here: NKR (National Kidney Registry) Donor Shield Center

You don’t have to give up a kidney to help.

Even if living kidney donation isn’t something you’re interested in, becoming an organ donor (by adding it to your driver’s license), is an amazing way to help save lives.

You can also support kidney research by participating in an event or donating to an organization like National Kidney Foundation or the American Kidney Fund.

If you’re interested in finding out if you’re a match for my brother (THANK YOU SO MUCH!), you can connect with his donation team at GW Hospital here: 202-715-5024. His name is Matt Self.