What is living donation?
In living donation, a healthy person donates an organ (usually a kidney or part of a liver) to someone whose health depends on receiving it. Living donors give the gift of life.
people in the United States are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. 2,800 fellow Georgians are on a Kidney Transplant waiting list.*
living donors are not biologically related to the recipient.*
living donations happen each year.*
Meet Becky and her hero, Amy.
When an infection caused her kidneys to fail, Becky was placed on the transplant list. Little did she know, she would find her perfect match at a book club.
Meet Troy and his hero, Reeshard.
Troy’s kidney disease could only be cured with a transplant, and he needed a donation to end cycles of fatigue and days every week at the dialysis clinic. Find out what happened when one of his gaming friends stepped up to become the hero Troy needed.
Why should you be a living donor?
In Georgia, transplant candidates are more likely to die waiting for a deceased donor than receive a transplant.
Living donation cuts wait times and offers the best chance for long-term success.
The need is great
Someone is added to the national organ transplant list every 9 minutes. On average, 16 people on the list die every day.* By becoming a living donor, you can change these statistics—and save a life.
Maintain a healthy life
There are risks with any surgery, but with living donation, you can still lead a long, healthy life.
Recovery is quick
New minimally invasive surgical techniques make it easier for donors to recover. Most kidney donors are back to work within two weeks, while liver donors typically return to normal activities within two months.
No cost to you
Most insurance companies will approve and cover the costs of a living donation, so you shouldn’t have any expenses related to evaluation, surgery, hospitalization or immediate post-operative care.
Save more than one life
If your blood type is incompatible with your loved one, you can still save a life—maybe two! Paired exchange allows two pairs of living donors and transplant candidates who don’t have matching blood types to swap for their ideal match. This way, more lives are saved.
Different doesn’t matter
A living donor could be a different gender, race or ethnicity from the recipient. In fact, some organs are so close to being a match that doctors can use innovative techniques to decrease the chances of rejection.