Living Donation Program
Living donation occurs when a living individual decides to donate an organ or part of an organ to someone in need of a transplant. Often, the living donor is a blood relative such as a parent, child, or sibling. However, anyone can be a living donor including a close friend, partner, or even altruistic strangers.
- Types of Living Organ Donations
- Kidney Paired Donation
- Qualifications for Living Organ Donors
- Making the Decision to Donate an Organ
The most common organ to be given by a living donor is a kidney as one can continue to experience a full and normal life with just one healthy kidney. Living donors can also give parts of other organs including the pancreas, liver, intestine, and lungs.
What is Living Organ Donation?
Zoom+ The Herrick Twins, Ronald and Richard, recipient and donor of the first successful organ transplant, are pictured here with their physicians in 1954. Countway Library of Medicine
Although most organ donations take place after the donor has died, some organs and tissues can be donated from living donors. Living donation offers an alternative for individuals awaiting transplantation from a deceased donor and increases the existing organ supply.
The first successful transplant in the U.S. was made possible by a living donor. The transplant took place in New England in 1954 when one twin donated a kidney to his identical twin brother. As a result of the growing need for organs for transplantation, living donation has increased as an alternative to deceased donation, and more than 6,000 living donations take place each year.
Living donor transplants are a viable alternative for patients in need of new organs. Many different types of organs can be supplied by living donors, including:
- Kidney - This is the most frequent type of living organ donation. Living individuals can donate one of their two well-functioning kidneys. Although all living kidney donors will experience a decrease in their kidney function, their remaining kidney provides the necessary function needed to remove waste from the body.
- Liver - A living donor can donate one of two lobes of their liver. This is possible because liver cells in the remaining lobe of the liver grow or regenerate after the donation until the liver is almost its original size. This re-growth of the liver to near its original size occurs in a short period of time in both the liver donor and liver recipient.
- Lung - Although lung lobes do not regenerate, individuals can donate a lobe of one lung.
- Intestine - Although very rare, it is possible to donate a portion of your intestine.
- Pancreas - Individuals can also donate a portion of the pancreas.
- Heart - Surprisingly, it is also possible for a living person to donate a heart, but only if he or she is receiving a replacement heart. This occurs only when it is determined that someone with severe lung disease and a normally functioning heart would have a greater chance of survival if he or she received a combined heart and lung transplant. As a result, the heart-lung recipient's own heart, if it’s in good condition, is then donated to an individual who needs only a heart transplant.
If you are considering becoming a living donor, contact Gift of Life's Living Donor Coordinator Diane James.
Living Donation Types
Although not all transplant centers perform all types, living donation has expanded to include many variations since the practice began in 1954. These include:
Related living donors are healthy blood relatives of transplant candidates, including:
- Brothers and sisters
- Parents
- Children over 18 years of age
- Other blood relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins, half brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews)
Unrelated living donors are healthy individuals emotionally close to, but not related by blood to transplant candidates, including:
- spouses
- relatives through marriage
- close friends
- co-workers, neighbors or other acquaintances
Non-directed donors are living donors who are not related to or known by the recipient, but make their donation purely out of selfless motives. This type of donation is also referred to as anonymous, or altruistic, non-directed living kidney donation.
Individuals who are interested in becoming non-directed donors should contact Gift of Life's Living Donor Coordinator Diane James to discuss the possibility of becoming a donor.
Kidney Paired Donation
A kidney exchange or kidney paired donation consists of two kidney donor/recipient pairs whose blood types are not compatible. The two recipients exchange donors so that each recipient can receive a kidney with a compatible blood type. Once the evaluations of all donors and recipients are completed, the two kidney transplant operations are scheduled to occur simultaneously. In some cases, this type of exchange has involved multiple living kidney donor/transplant candidate pairs.
Kidney Paired Donation Programs may also include non-directed kidney donors who wish to donate to anyone that is currently waiting for a kidney transplant. By donating to a Kidney Paired Donation program, non-directed donors may be given the opportunity to help two, three or even more transplants to occur as a result of their extraordinary gift. Many times, these non-directed donors can initiate kidney donor chains which have the potential to facilitate many more transplants instead of just one.
Qualifications for Living Donors
In order to qualify as a living donor, you must be in good overall health and have normal kidney function and anatomy. In general, living donors must be physically fit and free from high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease and heart disease. Individuals considered for living donation are usually between 18-60 years of age.
If the donor meets the criteria for donation, additional testing will be required to check for further compatibility as well as physical examinations and psychological evaluation.
Transplant centers must also implement a written living donor informed consent process that ensures the prospective living donor of both the aspects of living donation and its potential outcomes.
Making the Decision to Donate
Potential donors should make the decision to donate with all the information necessary to make an informed, educated choice. The decision to donate needs to be made voluntarily and free from internal or family pressure.
Zoom+ Dan Caruso, left, donated a kidney to Kim Montalvo for an "unrelated living donor" transplant.
This decision will affect all members of the person's family and should not be taken lightly.
Making the decision to be a living donor is a very personal one and the potential donor must consider the possibility of health effects that could continue following donation. In most cases, that decision must also take into consideration the life-saving potential for a loved one—the transplant recipient.
Because all of the effects, especially the long term effects, to the donor are not known at this time, the Federal government does not actively encourage anyone to be a living donor although they do recognize the wonderful benefit that this gift of life provides to the patient awaiting a transplant. There are currently several ongoing programs supported by the Division of Transplantation, Health Resources Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to study, support, and protect the living donors who do choose to provide this gift.
Who Makes a Good Donor?
While many people are willing to be living donors, not everyone has the qualities necessary to participate in living donation. Donors must be chosen carefully in order to avoid outcomes that are medically and psychologically unsatisfactory.
Request More Information
If you would like to have more information or to be tested as a potential kidney donor for someone you know, your first step is to contact the potential recipient's transplant center. You should ask to speak with the Kidney Transplant Coordinator, who can give you additional information about living donation, and help you get started.
If you would like to pursue more information regarding non-directed donation, you should do further research through the informational websites listed below, then call Gift of Life Donor Program at 215-557-8090 or e-mail Living Donor Coordinator Diane James for more information.
Additional Resources
• The National Kidney Foundation
• United Network for Organ Sharing
• UNOS Transplant Living
• Living Kidney Donor's Experiences (from Trans Web)
• OPTN Information about Living Donation
• National Marrow Donor Program
• Download the UNOS fact sheet about living donation
Find Related Info
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Thousands of patients come to Philadelphia hospitals every year needing life-saving organ transplants. Many come from out of state or travel great distances. Family House is a refuge for patients and their families who are on this journey.
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