Curious about Donating your Kidney, but don’t know anyone who wants it?

Glenna Frey | Posted on April 23, 2020 |

There are 4 basic ways to be a living kidney donor and this is about Non-Directed Donation.

Directed
Paired Exchange
Non-directed
Advanced

If you chose a specific person to give your kidney to, that is a Directed Donation. But what if you don’t know anyone on the transplant waiting list and still want to help? You can be a Non-Directed Donor.

You can donate even if you don’t know anyone who needs a kidney!

There are many people who donate their kidney to a “stranger”, or someone they do not personally know. This is also called “altruistic” or “Good Samaritan” donor. You might wonder how that can happen.

First

It is important to find out if you are healthy enough to donate your kidney. One very easy way to start the process from the comfort and safety of your home is to go to www.MyKDC.org home page. Select “Click and see if you can be a kidney donor” button. This will take you to a health survey through the National Kidney Registry. Based on your answers, they will provide instructions for the next step in the process.

Second

After the initial health screening, you will be provided with instructions to test your urine and blood. Then you will be asked to select a kidney transplant center to continue the workup process. The detailed workup testing will be covered in a separate post.

Third

If you would like to search the list of transplant centers, compare services and performance, Click Here. On this page, there are 2 important areas you will want to check out: “Click for Kidney Transplant Centers” and “Find the best hospital for you”. Take your time to explore the benefits and differences of the centers. It is important to choose the center that fits your personal needs the best. For example, you might want a center closest to your home, or you may prefer a center that has the best patient survival, or the best donor benefits.

What questions do you have?

You likely have a lot more questions about non-directed donation, the workup, risk of surgery, and how all of this happens through a transplant center. We are here to help! We provide support to help you understand the step by step process and guide you along the way. We don’t pressure you to donate; that is a very personal decision made by you and your transplant team.

Comment below and visit www.MyKDC.org.

Consider This!

If you want to make a difference in someone’s life (and society) in a very special, unique way, consider donating your kidney to someone you don’t know! Take the simple first step by completing the online health survey found Here.

Glenna Frey, APRN-CNS, is a nephrology nurse who donated her kidney in April 2017 to a stranger.
Amanda Frey, M.A., LMFT, LPC, is a Marriage & Family Therapist living with kidney disease.
Together, they co-founded Kidney Donor Conversations in 2018 to provide education about Living Kidney Donation.

Resources:

https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/nephrology

https://www.kidneyregistry.org

https://www.kidneytransplantcenters.org

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