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 donor. In exchange, their incompatible donor’s kidney is then given to you or to a third party who then exchanges with you until all parties have a donor. It’s like a kind of mix and match for willing kidney donors. And while that may sound odd or even amusing, it, in fact, can be life saving for those in need.
So the message here I suppose is that if you are a willing living donor for me, but worried about not being a match for me (you can anonymously check here if you are interested in being a candidate), then worry no more because you still can help me get a kidney by donating yours to the Kidney Swap.
Read more about it and watch the brief video on the link above…
And one more thing!
A variation on the Kidney Swap is the “Kidney Donor Chain.” In this scenario, a person who wants to donate a kidney to help someone in need of one, but not a specific person they know can start a chain by donating to an incompatible donor/recipient pair. The donor half of this compatible pair then donates their kidney to another incompatible couple and the chain continues – absolutely brilliant!