In fact, most transplant centers have information about living donor transplantation on their websites. Some use social media, too. Sometimes, even well-meaning friends unknowingly pass on incorrect information from these sources. Knowing what information to trust can be a challenge. Always check in with your transplant center staff if you have read or heard anything that leaves you with questions.
The point of living donor transplantation education is simple. It is to help you learn about the potential for a living donor transplant and to help you and your family and friends become more comfortable talking about living donor transplantation and organ donation. Getting comfortable with talking about your need for an organ donor is important, because telling your story is where everything starts.
You will get the facts from transplant professionals, such as doctors, nurses and social workers. Talking about living donor transplantation and organ donation is one of the most important things transplant center staff do every day. Here are some of the different ways your transplant center may help you learn about living donor transplantation. Your center may have others. Transplant centers are always working to come up with new ways to make it easy for people in your shoes to learn.
If you are considering living donor kidney transplantation, the National Kidney Foundation can help connect you to someone who has been there. Education for your Living Donor Champion. Some transplant centers help educate your living donor champion so that they can help spread the word about your need for an organ donor. Everyone needs a champion sometimes. Your champion can learn:. Each of these approaches may increase the chance that someone will start thinking about being a living donor, and in some cases, lead to a transplant.
Take advantage of all the education your transplant center can offer. Everyone needs a support team. When you need a transplant, there is a lot to learn and a lot to do. You need support. When you learn about living donor transplantation, bring family and friends with you. In fact, your transplant center will expect that you have support from family or friends.
Including your family and friends will:. The more your family and friends learn about living donor transplantation and organ donation, the more they will talk about it with others.
Talked and shouted about my need— this time for a living donor — from the rooftop. And here I am, enjoying life after my living donor transplant. A great way to get support and to maintain hope is for you or your friends and family to share your journey with kidney or liver disease on social media.
Social media lets you share your story with the world simply, quickly, and at no cost. The usage of social media continues to evolve rapidly. Discuss with your transplant team the benefits and risks associated with a social media campaign. It reminds people that they matter and that you still need their help to spread the word. Sharing also helps you celebrate the good days. And get the support you need to get right back up after the bad days. You will have both. Ask your transplant center staff for any advice about how to share health information safely and carefully.
Remember that it is illegal to give money or any other item of value in exchange for a donated organ. Different transplant centers have different requirements for accepting transplant patients. A living kidney donor will undergo complete medical tests to ensure that he or she is compatible with the kidney recipient and healthy enough for surgery. If surgery is cleared for both the donor and the recipient, and all kidney transplant match criteria is met, the donor will have a 2 to 3-hour surgery to remove 1 healthy kidney.
That healthy kidney will then be transplanted into the recipient. When successful, living kidney donor transplants last an average of 15—20 years and may last longer. There are certain requirements for a kidney donor to be your match for a transplant.
A living kidney donor must be in good physical and emotional health. You and your donor must also have:. Finding a Kidney Donor. Talk to family and close friends about kidney donation.
Talking openly about your donor search can help identify possible donors. Place your name on the kidney transplant waiting list to receive a donor kidney.
For more information on how to get started, talk to your social worker. Register for a paired kidney exchange program. If you have a potential donor who turns out not to be a match for you, a paired kidney exchange program—sometimes called a kidney swap—can match pairs of recipients and their incompatible donors so that you each receive compatible kidneys.
A transplant team, including a surgeon can help a kidney patient understand the surgery process and recovery. A social worker on the team is a great resource to talk to about guilt, deservedness, indebtedness and fear of rejection. Financial concerns for the donor can be answered with information about programs that reimburse most costs associated with being a living donor.
It is more about letting a large number of people know about your situation and the need for a living donor to come forward on their own. The greater the number of people who are aware of your situation, the more the word spreads. Some people like to think about the values they share with their friends, family and acquaintances.
Perhaps this circle is of great social support and share values of altruism. Or perhaps this group is noted for its service within the community. These shared values could lead to an opening to explain your need for a living donor. Large numbers of living donors have come forward due to their spiritual belief in helping their fellow-man.
It is important to have a compelling short story about your need. Practice responses to commonly asked questions from people to whom you tell your story.
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