@deedee99, hello! I work with the team at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. I am happy to answer any questions you have about kidney transplant at Mayo or in general. You can also email me at transplant-rst@mayo.edu if that's more comfortable for you.
I'd like to clarify a few things for you. A patient can be on more than one kidney transplant wait list. As long as his insurance is open to covering multiple doctor visits, he can be listed for transplant in varying regions in the United States. He doesn't need to live near the transplant center, but I understand why it may be easier to be located close by. Most transplant center will accept testing done elsewhere so it's not usually considered "starting over", but he still may need to travel to the other center to meet their team and be examined.
Mayo Clinic has many options for kidney transplant including, pre-emptive kidney transplant (transplant prior to being on dialysis), living donor kidney transplant, paired exchange kidney transplant, deceased donor kidney transplant, and kidney transplant for patients with weight concerns. I am happy to discuss these options with you here or by email, or with your son as well.
Kidney transplant patients are typically followed by a nephrologist, but the patient should be meeting with a surgeon as well prior to the transplant.
I hope these details are helpful for you. I am happy to help further if you need more information. And thank you for considering living donation. It's so helpful to patients to have a donor identified. I hope you both find the right hospital for you. - Kristin