Recently my friend Bruce sent me a link to an incredible television piece PBS Newshour did on how kidney chains are saving lives. Please take a moment (actually 10) to view this video. It is at once touching, informative and could be a life saver. Click here to view the video.
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Want to help me? It’s all about information: for you and potential donors. One of the best places to start is the transplant area of Massachusetts General Hospital’s excellent website. There you will find a lot of education. I have several articles and links published in the submenu under this menu category. These will give you a quick, easy-to-read background on the subject so you can understand the ins and outs of kidney transplant and how it is very safe for the donor and a pretty awesome thing to do for someone if life! A couple of other sites that are helpful are: The National Kidney Foundation and The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) So, happy reading and learning! Here are some education links from the submenu:
…So anyone who has heard a bit about organ transplant probably knows that, in order to be successful, blood type matching is pretty essential. It does lessen the number of kidney matches for each person unfortunately. However, programs like Kidney Swaps and chains have worked around that potential issue. For the purposes of this site, we are talking about me and my kidneys. So what blood type courses through my veins, you generously ask? Well, I am type “A positive” (insert your own type A personality joke here if you must). Blood type “A” can receiver kidneys from other type “A” and Type “O”. Type “O” is actually the “universal donor” which means they can donate to any type. Positive and negative designations do not matter in kidney donation. Of course, with the advent of “Kidney Paired Donation (“Kidney …
One of the coolest things in life must be when that person steps forward and is interested in giving you a kidney – interested in improving and ultimately saving your very life.
And one of the largest disappointments must be when you find out this person’s kidney is not a match for you. I’m not sure I can imagine the let down.
But the idea of the Kidney Paired Donation Program – or Kidney Swap – has become a time and even life saver for folks who have a willing donor who does not match them. As the name suggests, you simply can register you and your donor with UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing). A transaction is created in which your donor’s non-matched kidney is transplanted into someone who they do match but also has an incompatible …
So what is living donation? Basically kidneys that get donated to folks like me come from one of two places; a person who has just passed away with a healthy kidney or a still-living person who has very generously decided to part with one of their own kidneys to help someone else out.
Some wonder, if you can get a deceased donor kidney, why be in search of one from a living donor? – good question…
According to the National Kidney Foundation, kidney transplants performed from living donors may have several advantages compared to transplants performed from deceased donors: