Living Kidney Donation

Posts Tagged ‘living donation’

Every patient waiting on a kidney transplant in Scotland is to be sent an information pack telling them how to get a living donor in a bid to reduce the current waiting list.

At present there are more than 400 people on the transplant list, facing an average wait of up to three years for a kidney from a deceased donor.

This latest move by the Scottish Government is part of a national drive to increase awareness of the possibility of donating a kidney to someone in need of a transplant, whilst still alive, either to a loved one or a stranger.

Over the last ten years, more than 500 people in Scotland have become living kidney donors, with figures highlighting 86 people donated in 2016-17 alone. The information pack has been designed to inform patients of the different routes to living donation and reinforce that a successful kidney transplant from a living donor is the best treatment option for those waiting, as the kidney tends to be healthier. It features the perspectives of donors, recipients and various clinical specialists working to ensure each transplant is as successful as possible.

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Interesting idea …. read more about it here  Living Donor Scheme

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Altruistic kidney donations:

1st April – 31st March in each year

• 2007-8   =  6 donations
• 2008-9   = 15 donations
• 2009-10 = 15 donations
• 2010-11  = 28 donation
• 2011-12  = 34 donations
• 2012-13  = 76 donations

Since 1st April 2013 there have been 30 altruistic donations which is fantastic news.

The Human Tissue Authority has seen a huge rise in the number of people approved to give organs to someone they do not know

Issue date: 16 May 2013

The number of altruistic donors, people giving organs to someone they do not know, approved by the Human Tissue Authority has almost trebled in the last year.

During 2012/13, the HTA approved 104 ‘non-directed’ cases, compared to 38 in 2011/12. The HTA assesses all proposed transplants to ensure donors are aware of any risks and that they haven’t been pressurised or offered any reward to donate.

To read the full report please go to the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) website here
http://www.hta.gov.uk/newsandevents/htanews.cfm/1143-Huge-rise-in-altruistic-donor-numbers–says-HTA.html

Are you on the Organ Donor Register?

If so – thank you!! So many lives could be saved. What a fabulous legacy to leave behind. 

Did you know though, that no matter the fact you have signed the Organ Donor Register, the final word about donating will be with your next of kin and/or family.  Although the transplant team has the right to veto next of kin wishes, they generally do not.

So please ….. If you want to save some lives you must tell your next of kin and your family. Make sure they understand how important this is for you. That however upsetting it may seem at the time, they need to agree with your dying wish to save someone else.

I know someone who, after their loved one’s death, refused to allow the organs to be used, even though their loved one had signed the register. It came as a shock to them to find this out. A couple of days later, they  bitterly regretted their decision to refuse, but by then it was too late.

So please …. sign the Organ Donor Register  AND discuss your wishes with next of kin/family, make it clear this is something you really do want to do.

There is no guarantee that our organs will be able to be used anyway when we die. But at least by signing the Organ Donor Register we have offered.  Another reason why I am pleased I decided to donate a kidney while I was alive. At least I know I have helped one person and hopefully after my death I can help many more.

If you do decide you would like to find out more about living donation, then please read the links on the left of this page, under the heading of “become a donor”. Those links should answer many questions about living kidney donation and, who knows, it may even inspire someone to donate.

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Following several emails asking why I have stopped the evaluation process I just want to say it didn’t stop, I just stopped posting about it back in October as it was important to keep the confidentiality of recipient and donor.  I will post again after several months have passed when I will describe the rest of the evaluation and the donation – in the meantime please scroll down to the bottom of the home page of this blog to read the evaluation process from the start.  
EDIT: I took up posting again and you will find the full account. Links on the left or go to home page and scroll to the bottom to read from the start.
There are also plenty of good (I hope) links and pages on this blog to offer information regarding kidney donation.

If anyone is considering becoming a living donor and would like any information from a donors perspective then please get in contact with me via the contact page or just post a comment and I will get back to you.

Anyone wanting to donate, either non-directed or to a known person and would like some support from someone who has donated then please contact me via the contact form.