Patient Resources

We hope that you will find the information in this section useful whether you are a potential donor, past donor, healthcare professional, or member of the community.

General Resources

We invite you to browse through the following list of helpful resources for information about the donation and transplant process.

National Kidney Foundation — The National Kidney Foundation has a comprehensive website for living donors and people considering donation. They have developed an educational booklet entitled “Living Donation – What You Need to Know”.
United Network for Organ Sharing: What Every Patient Needs to Know — This comprehensive document includes a section pertaining to living organ donors (see Section 3).
Transplant Living — This comprehensive website, related to the United Network for Organ Sharing, provides comprehensive information for people considering organ donation.
Living with a Solitary Kidney — This publication from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) answers many questions that one might have about living with a single kidney, whether a person was born without a kidney, donated a kidney, or lost a kidney from another reason such as cancer.
Living Donors Online — This is an online community for living donors, potential donors, their families, and the medical community.
Consider the Stars: Anatomy of a Living Kidney Donor — Read about the experience of one altruistic living kidney donor’s journey.
Donate Life America — This website contains a robust section about Living Donation.

Living Donor Kidney Transplantation at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian

Our Living Donor Booklet: What You Need to Know About Becoming a Kidney Donor contains additional important information about the living kidney donation process that potential living donors receive during their evaluation.
- Also available in Spanish and Chinese
Patient Stories
- Bride Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Kidney Transplant
- Innovative Kidney Exchange Program Touches Multiple Lives, Generations
Living Kidney Donation YouTube Playlist – Listen to Dr. Joseph Del Pizzo speak about various aspects of living kidney donation
Living Donor Kidney Transplantation – Dr. Sandip Kapur speaks about the impact of living donor kidney transplantation

Living Donation Financial Resource Center

National Kidney Foundation — In their comprehensive Question and Answer resource for potential living kidney donors, the National Kidney Foundation answers many common financial and insurance questions that people may have when contemplating donation.
National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) — Many people may want to become living donors for family or acquaintances, but lack the necessary resources to cover expenses like travel, lodging and other non-medical expenses. The National Living Donor Assistance Center was established to provide greater access to transplantation for persons who want to donate, but cannot otherwise afford the travel and subsistence expenses associated with donation. There are specific eligibility requirements which include an application process. Eligibility is based on both the recipient and donor's finances.
Donor Leave Laws and Tax Deductions/Credits for Living Donors — This document is a great summary put together by the National Kidney Foundation that reviews Federal and State Legislation related to Living Donation.
AST Employee Leave & Organ Donation Status Report of Institutions with Paid Leave Policies for Live Donors — This document provides a list of organizations that have specific paid leave policies for employees who serve as living organ donors.

Health Insurance Resources for Living Donors

It is important that donors have health insurance. The following are a few insurance options available in New York State:

Medicaid — Health insurance that helps many people who can't afford medical care to pay for some or all of their medical bills. You must meet certain requirements, including financial ones, to be eligible for Medicaid, which are determined by each state.
NY State of Health Official Health Plan Marketplace — Reduced-cost health insurance in NY State. It offers comprehensive health insurance to those who are self-employed, working individuals, and small businesses.
Healthcare.gov — Resources and information on health insurance enrollment through the health exchanges provided by the Affordable Care Act.