Connect
Over 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney transplant waiting list each month. With this great need for kidneys, there’s also a significant need for living kidney donors. It’s a big decision but choosing to become a living kidney donor could have a huge impact on someone’s life.
You can understand more about the donation process with our Living Donor ToolKit.
Did You Know?
- To be a living kidney donor, you don’t have to be related or even know the recipient.
- A typical hospital stay for living kidney donors is typically just 2-3 days.
- The short and long-term survival rates for patients who had a living donor are better than those who had a deceased donor.
- There’s no cutoff age for being a living kidney donor.
- Living donation reduces the amount of time a person spends waiting for a deceased organ.
- As a living donor, the recipient’s insurance typically covers all donation-related medical expenses.
- Living kidney donation often allows a person to avoid dialysis completely if it was not already started.
Kati Donated
When Kati heard in an email that her child’s school principal needed a kidney, she didn’t hesitate to get tested. Now Kati and the recipient of her kidney, Nancy, have become close friends.
Learn more about Kati’s story and watch the Facebook Live video of her and the recipient of her liver.
Donors Needed
Every day someone needs a kidney. Living kidney donation is a wonderful act of generosity and courage for someone in need. You can make an impact.
If you have interest in becoming a living organ donor, find out how to get started on being a candidate for donation.
HELPFUL LINKS
- Learn about kidney transplant at Mayo Clinic.
- Explore Mayo’s Transplant Center.
- Request an appointment.
Like
Helpful
Hug
Connect
@cehunt57 - It is my understanding that the cut off age is dependent on the transplant center. My nephrologist at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester) told me 80 would be too old because "it would not be a good transplant." (My Mom offered to donate and she is 80). Apparently everyone loses kidney function with age so I got the impression that if you need the kidney to last many years (20 plus) then the age of the donor will impact the success and longevity of the transplant.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@cehunt57, I would like to welcome you to Connect. This is an excellent question. I am happy to see that you are receiving some helpful replies from others who have experience with this.
I wish you well on your journey to transplant.
Rosemary
Hi @cehunt57. Glad to hear you’re spreading the word about living donation! Be sure to check out our recipient toolkit (http://mayocl.in/2oZ9oId) and living donor toolkit (http://mayocl.in/2pGgHCF) for resources and information that may be helpful to you. Our apologies for any confusion about the cut off age for a living kidney donor. A donor’s eligibility is so hard to predict without a medical exam, which is why we say there is no hard cut off. But generally speaking, for a related living kidney donor we may consider people in their 70s, and for unrelated donors we typically consider people in their 60s as the highest age. Hope that helps and best of luck with your search!
Thanks everybody for your responses to my comments. I find it peculiar that I keep getting referred to the Living Donor Toolkit and the Recipient Toolkit information because the information in there is what prompted my comments in the first place. As a person in need of a kidney transplant I read everything I can to help my cause and pass the information on to potential donors. It is really frustrating when potential donors asking for information are told something different or contrary to other information they've already seen or read from the same source. It isn't confidence inspiring for potential donors to feel like they can't get consistent, straight answers and it is devastating for recipient candidates to see their potential donor pool shrink with each of these conflicting bits of information. Let me give an example. From the Donor Toolkit "there's no age cutoff for living kidney donation". My cousin was told 80. lcamino's mother was told "80 is too old". kquick says 70's may be considered for related living kidney donors and 60's for unrelated living kidney donors. I have other examples but I'm starting to get bummed out. I can only imagine how hard it is for people to consider living organ donation and reliable information is important.
@cehunt57, Well your story does sound very frustrating. I recommend choosing a transplant center, obtaining their information personally (in person or via phone) from the staff, and sticking with that. If you have met with a transplant team I would think they would walk you through the process. Now I'm saying that and I'm a year or two out from getting a kidney transplant so this is simply a recommendation. Best of luck, and most importantly, DON'T GIVE UP!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@cehunt57, I think can understand your frustration of being referred over and over to the living donor toolkit. I ask you to keep in mind that on Mayo Connect, we are not medical professionals and we do not have the authority or even the knowledge to give you specific answers that you are seeking. I encourage you to talk to your transplant team at Mayo. They are fabulous people.
Keep in mind, too, that each patient is unique, and each patient has individual needs that can only be address by your own transplant team. Sometimes the answers are not what we want to hear - from my own personal experience. It is okay to engage in conversation, ask questions, get answers from them.
I wish you a successful journey.
Rosemary