Each transplant team has their own specific guidelines regarding waiting on the transplant list and being notified when a donor organ is available.

In most instances, you will be notified by phone that an organ is available. You will be told to come to the hospital immediately so that your child can be prepared for the transplant. Even if you are called into the hospital, it does not guarantee that your child will receive that kidney; sometimes the kidney may go to someone higher on the list at another center. In addition, there may be a reaction when the donor's blood is mixed with your blood (called a positive crossmatch), which may indicate that your child should not receive that organ due to high risk of rejection. 

The Scope of Kidney Disease and the Organ Shortage

We all have heard about the shortage of organs available for transplantation. Unfortunately, the number of deceased donor organs has remained stagnant over the last several years, and this trend is expected to continue. As can be seen from the facts below, there is a great need to increase transplant opportunities for patients with kidney disease. 

Although the 16,000+ kidney transplants performed each year in the United States may sound like a lot, the number is small compared to the number of people who are on dialysis, which is more than 650,000. It is also quite small when compared to the number of people waiting for a kidney (more than 95,000) and those never even referred for transplant evaluation (130,000+).

Given the high rate of complications and death while on dialysis, an increase in living donor kidney transplants holds the hope for improving the ability to transplant people who need a kidney. 

Benefits of Living Donor Over Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation

In addition to increasing the number of kidney transplants, living donation also provides the following benefits: 

• Ability to schedule the transplant at a time that is convenient for both the donor and recipient helps to facilitate pre-emptive transplantation (transplant before the recipient needs dialysis), which is associated with better outcomes for the recipient

• Superior quality of living donor organs (as compared to deceased donor organs) leads to:

• Better function of the transplanted organ (immediate in the overwhelming majority of cases)
• Longer survival of the transplanted organ

Please contact us if you have other questions not addressed here.

We are happy to answer them for you and will be happy to post them on this website for the benefit of others who may have the same question.

We can be reached at livingdonorkidneycenter@med.cornell.edu.

It is possible to donate to someone who lives in the United States if you live outside of the U.S. 

However, this ability varies greatly depending on where you live. In addition, this option is generally limited to donations to a blood relative.

It tends to be a slow process. First, you must go to your local doctor and have your blood type and other basic laboratory values checked, have a chest X-ray, have your medical history recorded, and a physical exam performed. The results of these tests are then sent to the transplant center in the United States, where they are reviewed.

If it looks like you are suitable to be a donor, the transplant center will generate a letter to assist you with your visa application. You are responsible for the rest of your visa application. If a visa is granted (usually for a 3 month time period), then the final testing and planning for the surgery can begin.

In some cases, having been a kidney donor can impact the donor's ability to obtain both health insurance and life insurance. Therefore, it is highly recommended that people considering donation obtain these types of insurance prior to becoming a donor.

Yes, there are "out-of-pocket" expenses that are not covered by insurance. These include expenses related to travel and hotel stays, childcare, elder care, follow-up costs (depends on where follow-up occurs (at transplant center or with your own doctor), and lost wages.

Your recipient is allowed by law to assist you with these types of expenses. In addition, there are assistance programs and tax deductions available related to these out-of-pocket costs that you might incur as a living donor.

Yes, the insurance coverage provided by the recipient's insurance works the same way. Any logistics related to the insurance coverage (for example, if the donor is being worked up at a different transplant center than the recipient) are managed by the transplant centers.

All donors are required to have health insurance in the event that medical issues/diagnoses arise during the course of their evaluation to be a donor. 

In this instance, the recipient's insurance does not cover the donor's medical expenses, so the potential donor must have health insurance in place to ensure that they will be covered in such a circumstance.

Another reason why obtaining health insurance prior to donation is important: kidney donation may be considered a “pre-existing” condition by health insurers. While current law largely prohibits health insurers from denying you coverage or charging you more because of a pre-existing condition, some companies may still be able to refuse covering you for this reason.

The current national policy is that former donors who require a transplant themselves at a future time are given 4 extra points on the waiting list, which will help them to move up on the list. This extra waiting time only applies to the wait for a kidney, not any other organ that a former kidney donor might need in the future. 

The risks of living with one kidney appear to be small if donors remain healthy and do not develop diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and/or obesity.

This is why we screen potential donors to try to ensure that they do not have these diseases at the time of donation and are also not at high risk of developing them in the future. 

Please visit the "Long Term/Medical Risks" section of the Risks and Benefits page for more information.