Considering Donation

[alpertj]

A distant friend of mine revealed that he went through cancer treatment, no longer has kidney function and now needs a transplant. He posted on social media and when I saw comments about people sending well-wishes, I felt inspired to do more. I am in the very early evaluation stages to be a donor. I feel part crazy, part excited to possibly help someone else live a much better life, and afraid of potential complications.

Again, I am very early in the process. But want to put it out there for the wisdom of the group and those who have been through the process.

Thanks.

Jay

[DSKdonor NKF Ambassador]

Giving the gift of life is a wonderful thing - IF you really want to!!! You do need to be 100% sure, though. If at any time during the process you feel like you want to "back out", you can do so without your friend knowing -- the medical team will "disqualify" you upon your notification to them. That being said, if you do move forward, I can only hope you feel as happy as all donors I know, including myself... none of us would ever have done something differently!!

[marcyc NKF Ambassador NKF Peer Mentor]

I donated to my husband in 2015 and we are both doing well. It is a big decision, not to be taken lightly. As a potential donor, you are not only thoroughly assessed for your health status but an advocate, usually a social worker will be assigned to you. Anytime you want to change your mind you can do so and they will tell the recipient that you are not medically suitable. My advocate came to visit the night before the surgery, I asked if people backed out that late in the game and she said absolutely yes. Hopefully you will have worked through all your questions and make your decision prior to that but it is your decision. I am a RN as well. Please feel free to ask any questions. Thank you for considering living donation!

[LivingDonor2003 NKF Ambassador NKF Peer Mentor]

Hi Jay,

Each persons situation and reasons for donating are different. As a Living Donor of over 15 years I tend to give this advice to people that are considering being a Living Donor:

(1) Go through the initial testing to see you are compatible to donate to the person you know. For people donating altruistically this step is not really needed.

(2) Do not let the intended recipient know that you are testing. I have read many stories of potential recipients getting their hopes up because someone is testing only to have those hopes evaporate due to the potential donor changing their mind or becoming non-medically able to donate. I would withhold the testing news until all testing is completed, you are cleared to donate AND are confident in your decision/commitment to donate.

(3) Get a Peer Mentor. There are several of us here on this site but I would also recommend going to the National Kidney Foundation site (kidney.org) or call 1.855.653.2273 and request a Mentor through the program "The Big Ask-The Big Give".

(4) Do your own research and ask every question that you can think of.

If you make the decision to donate, THANK YOU! Monitor your health post donation and do the smart things to reduce your risks. I have had no donation related health issues since I donated and again, I am 15 1/2 years post donation. I'll add that my recipient, Mother, is also doing well!

Please remember that kidney donation is a major surgery and with any surgery there are risks. While the percentage is small there are some donors that do not have a positive recovery. This is just one of the many things to consider.

If you decide not to donate or are not able to donate, thank you for considering living donation.

Warren

[alpertj]

I can’t thank everyone enough for the help and advice! So many more valuable things to think about and take into consideration. I feel confident moving forward in the screening process at this point with the knowledge that I can pull out of the process later if I am even a match for someone.

I’ll let you know how it goes!

Jay