How You Can Help!
You have two kidneys but you really only need one…
So you might just want to give that spare kidney to Laurie! (It will do her more good than it will do you!)
Laurie is currently on a wait-list for a kidney at Mount Sinai Recanati/Miller Transplant Institute in New York City—one of the largest and most comprehensive adult and pediatric abdominal transplantation centers in the world. This means she has undergone thorough exams and tests and has been accepted as a potential candidate for a kidney. Now, Laurie just needs a kidney! There are currently more than 120,000 who are waiting for a deceased donor kidney and waits are often 7 to 10 years.
Before you consider becoming Laurie’s Living Donor, please read the following:
- Donors do not have to be the same race, age, blood type, or sex as the kidney recipient. Laurie is blood type AB which means her donor can have Type A or B or Type A/B.
- Donors must be in good health and active, no diabetes or uncontrolled hypertension or kidney problems.
- Donors should be 18 years of age or older but generally less than 60.
- Anyone who decides to donate is given a full evaluation by a multi-disciplinary team to make sure that it would be SAFE for them to donate.
- The donor would be followed by the medical team for 2 years after the surgery and follow-up care is also covered by Laurie’s insurance.
- Tests would include blood pressure checks, blood and urine tests, breast exam and Pap smear (for women), colonoscopy, angiogram to see blood vessels of the kidney, MRI, cardiac evaluation, chest X-rays, and ultrasound and other tests should above tests come back abnormal/unusual.
- Typically, donors spend 1 to 3 days in the hospital after surgery. Recovery time varies but can take from 3 to 5 weeks
- There would be some prohibitions for heavy lifting and other strenuous activities.
- Donors must be able to take time off work or school for at least 2-3 weeks after surgery.
- A person who’s being tested as a living door can stop the process at any time and for any reason. There is no penalty for changing your mind, even on the day of surgery!
You will also need to learn all about the donor process as offered through Zweig Family Center for Living Donations at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York:
Visit the following links to become familiar with the procedure:
About the Zweig Family Center
Its sole focus is providing comprehensive medical, surgical, and psychological care, as well as education and emotional support to people considering living donation and those who have already donated. Begin here to learn about Zweig.
Starting The Donation Process
Becoming a living donor is an incredible opportunity, and patients who receive a living donor’s kidney generally experience significantly better outcomes than patients waiting for deceased donations. Here is where you begin.
Kidney Donation Surgery and Recovery
The standard surgical procedure to remove a kidney is called a laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. Laparoscopic surgery minimizes surgical incisions and reduces recovery time. Learn about what is involved in surgery and recovery.
Resources
Learn how the Transplant Living Center (TLC) at Mount Sinai provides affordable, home-like housing in New York City for all transplant patients and their families. Conveniently located within walking distance of Mount Sinai, TLC is privately funded and staffed with caring volunteers.
If you have questions about becoming a Living Kidney Donor please call the Zweig Family Center Living Donor line at 212-659-8024.
Why a Living Donor?
A living donor—someone who is willing to donate one of their two kidneys—can reduce wait time significantly! Surgeries could be scheduled faster and would be done at the same time. Donated kidneys usually function right away and last longer than deceased donor kidneys. A Living Donor kidney usually lasts 15-20 years. A person can live a full life without impairment with one kidney. After removal of one kidney, the other kidney becomes a bit larger to do the work of two.
Donors must Volunteer to Donate: IT IS ILLEGAL TO BE PAID TO DONATE A KIDNEY.
Exchange programs may also be helpful to Laurie’s search! Even if you aren’t a good match you might still be able to help her find a kidney through Paired Donations or Donor Chains.
Paired Donations: Two kidney patients might have healthy donors who aren’t good matches for them, but they could swap donors so each can get a kidney which matches.
Donor chains: Also a “chain” can help a group of kidney patients who have healthy donors to switch donors around if they have a donor who is not a good match to switch within that group. This means that even if you are not a blood match for Laurie you can still be part of an exchange program.
What is kidney transplant surgery like?
Both the donor and the kidney patient are admitted to Mount Sinai hospital the morning of the day of the surgery. The operations are both performed at the same time by Laurie’s surgical team and typically take 3-5 hours.
The donor will receive a general anesthesia to put them to sleep and prevent pain. A small tube will be placed in their vein by the doctors to administer fluids and medicines. Also a tube in their bladder after surgery to measure the output of urine.
Laparoscopic surgery is performed which employs a wand-shaped camera placed in small cuts in the belly so doctors can view the kidney and remove it through the small cuts which are then closed with stitches. Thus resulting in shorter recovery times and fewer problems after.
At the time the kidney is removed the donor will lose half of their kidney function. After the donor surgery, doctors connect that kidney to the patient’s body right away. Over time, the donor’s remaining kidney will become larger in order to do the work of two kidneys.
A useful resource from the Zweig Family Center is the Kidney Coach Playbook which is a practical guide on helping someone find a kidney you might wish to read for insight into the challenges of finding a Live Kidney Donor.