Donor Types
There are different types of Living Kidney Donation.
1) Living Donation
This is where a kidney is removed from a living person. They can survive very well on the remaining kidney. Living Donation generally refers to donating to a relative, close friend or someone you know.
Download a .pdf leaflet on:- Can I be a LivingDonor
2) Non-Directed or Altruistic Living Donation
Is the same as Living Donation except you are donating to a total stranger and the chances are you will never know who has received the kidney and the recipient will never know who you are.
Download a .pdf leaflet on:- Altruistic Living Kidney Donation
3) Paired or Pooled Donation
Paired
Paired donation is where adonor and recipient are incompatible or mismatched with each other. It could be possible for them to be matched with another pair of donor/recipient in the same situation and for the kidneys to be exchanged or swapped. With this type of donation each recipeint receives a transplant that he/she would otherwise not have had. To give you an example:
Couple 1: A = donor – B = recipient
Couple 2: C = donor – D = recipient
A is not a match for B but is a match for D
C is not a match for D but is a match for B
so:
A = donor – D =recipient
C = donor –B = recipient
Pooled
Kidney exchanges can involve more than two pairs at once. This is known as pooled donation.
Download a .pdf leaflet on – Paired/Pooled Donation
4) Domino Donation
Domino donation is a form of living donation where an organ or part organ is removed for the primary purpose of a person’s medical treatment. The organ/s removed may prove suitable for transplant into another person (e.g. a heart originally removed from the recipient of a heart / lung transplant).
60 Responses to “Donors”
Leave a Reply
this site going
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
this site going
Natasha,
Predisposed – yes fully agree
Programmed – nope
Glad you got your words mixed up as I agree with you. I do believe some of us are predisposed to one illness or another. Living a healthy lifestyle will not necessarily ward off an illness/disease. But if we live a un healthy lifestyle and get ill we will never know if we would have got ill or not had we led a healthy lifestyle.
Greg
I thought I posted but cannot see my post.
Natasha
Yes predisposed a big thumbs up.
Programmed a thumbs down.
We are all on the same page now I believe
Greg
Hi,
I might be new to this but I have a question…Why would someone donate their kidney to someone they don’t want to know? Just recently I have came close to help someone but I turned out to be unmatched. I would like to know the person I am donating my kidney too. The thought of me donating to a stranger it doesn’t make sense..unless there something else. Please help me to understand. Thanks
Regards
Sid
Hi Sid,
I had two kidneys. I only need one. I have signed the organ donor register but that is no guarantee any of my organs will be viable for transplant. Donating before my death ensures one person has been helped. Why to a stranger though? Why not. None of my relatives have any illness that could lead to kidney failure. I suppose I could have not donated just in case a family member did get ill with kidney disease, but that would be very unlikely. knowing that people are dying every day simply because they need a kindey transplant. And there was I with a spare kidney. I ask myself the question – did I have a good enough reason not to help someone and give them their life back? And no, I did not have a good enough reason. For me, knowing I could donate and knowing I could perhaps save someone’s life, give them a second chance at life. give them back to their family – how could I stand by and not donate? Just as I could not pass a man drowning in the river and not stop to try and save him even though I am not a good swimmer. We are all brothers and sisters on this earth and I truly believe we need to help eachother where we can.
I perfectly understand though that some people are scared of hospitals, operations etc. They may have dependant children at home. And many other reasons why some people do not wish to donate to a stranger. I respect that totally. But for me, I could not have respected myself had I stood by and not helped someone. I don’t need to know them personally. All I know is that we are all human beings on the same planet and if I can help someone I will. I just wish I had more spare kidneys as i would willingly donate again to a total stranger.
There are no hidden deep motives to donating to a stranger. But I have more reasons to donate than not donate.
Di
Thanks for that Diane
I have just made the decision to start the testing process for becoming a live donor. My reasons are very similar to you, I feel that if I can help and I am happy to help, then I should.
Also, my Dad is unfortunately losing his battle with cancer and seeing what he and my family are going through made me take this step. I thought about doing this a few years ago and have been reading up on it to ensure I had enough information. Seeing my Dad fight and my family struggle with this really made me realise that whilst I can do nothing about his situation, I can do something for others out there.
I am quite happy that I am donating for a stranger, I don’t need to know who they are, what they do, I am happy in the knowledge that I am willing to help someone and that by doing this, they have a chance at a happy and healthy life.
I have met with resistence from my husband and my family, they are concerned that I might become ill and then need my kidney, but I have been able to reassure them on this and say that kidney disease would affect both and not just one. They are concerned that one of them may become ill and need it, and while this is a valid point, it is highly unlikely and I can’t refuse to help someone on the basis of ‘what if’. Added to that, direct relatives still only have about a 25% chance of being a match, so this was not high enough to sway me.
I may not even get to be a donor depending on the test results, but while I am determined to do this, I understand why some people wouldn’t consider it. Hopefully more people will start to do this in future.
Hi Ali,
Fantastic you are wanting to donate, absolutely brilliant!!!
I am so sorry about your Dad. I know what you are going through. I lost my Dad to lung cancer when I was 14 years old. No, we cannot live our lives on “what ifs”. It is understandable your family would be concerned, but hopefully with the facts they will come to accept what you want to do and be very proud of you. You would be more than welcome to take family members along to a meeting with the coordinator so they can have all their concerns answered if you felt that would help.
I would love to know how you get on with the evaluation. So please post back if you feel you would like to. or you can contact me directly via the Contact link top of page.
Which is your local transplant center?
Best of luck and all the very best
Di
x
Hi, I have been interested in organ donation for a long time and I am already on the organ donor register. However, I am interested in living donations also, who do I contact/how do I go about this?
Many thanks
Amy
Hi Amy,
Thanks for making contact. I am so delighted you are considering becoming a donor, it is truly a wonderful experience. Here is a link which lists all the transplant centers http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ukt/about_transplants/transplant_units/transplant_units.asp
you should be able to locate your nearest one. You can give them a call and ask to speak with a “Live Donor Co-Ordinator” and you can arrange to have a chat about the whole process with them.
If you haven’t already, I suggest you look to the top left of this page and under the heading “become a donor” read all those links, it will give you an excellent insight into the whole process from the evaluation proceedings, operation/stay in hospital and recovery at home.
If you have any questions please either just post them or you can contact me privately via the “contact” link at the top right of this page and I will do my best to help.
All the very best
Di
x
Hi,
I am in Kenya.Can I donate?
Hi Ken,
You can only donate in Kenya.
Regards
Di