Become a Living Donor

Become a Living Donor

At the UMC Center for Transplantation, we strive to make the best possible match between a living donor and the transplant recipient. We ask transplant patients to talk to family members and friends about donating a kidney, since most potential donors want their kidney to go to someone they know.

For those interested in donating a kidney:

• Contact our living donor coordinator at 702-224-7184 or email LivingDonor@umcsn.com.

• Complete an initial screening in person or over the phone. 

• Undergo a thorough medical and psychosocial evaluation to ensure that you are in good health and meet donation criteria.

• Several other tests, including detailed imaging of your kidneys, will be performed to ensure that you are in good health and that you meet donation criteria.

• Complete a blood test to determine if your blood and tissue types are compatible with the intended organ recipient. 

The Donation Process:

The UMC Transplant Center will perform an initial screening to ensure that the potential donor does not have health issues that would make a living donation unsafe.

Blood Testing: The potential donor must be blood type compatible to donate to a particular recipient. If the donor is blood type compatible then a “cross-match” is performed. The recipient’s blood and the donor’s blood are mixed together to ensure compatibility.

Evaluation and Screening:

• Blood pressure monitoring
• Evaluation with the UMC Multidisciplinary Transplant Team, who will make sure the donation is safe for the donor
• Meeting with the Transplant Social Worker and the Independent Living Donor Advocate to discuss the donor’s support system throughout the donation process
• Laboratory testing to evaluate kidney function, risk of diabetes and infectious diseases
• Imaging studies such as an ultrasound, a CT scan and a renal perfusion scan
• A chest X-ray to evaluate lung health and an electrocardiogram to assess heart health
• A PAP smear for all women 18 and over and a mammogram for women who are over the age of 40
• Men over the age of 49 require a prostate-specific antigen screening
• Men and women over the age of 45 require a colonoscopy

What makes a good living kidney donor?

• A willingness to voluntarily donate a kidney
• 18 years of age or older
• Not significantly overweight (A body mass index of 30 or less)
• No history of diabetes (A history of gestational diabetes will be evaluated)
• Normal blood pressure, or blood pressure controlled with one medication
• Cancer-free
• A commitment to taking care of your health after donation, including a yearly follow-up with your doctor

What is the cost of donating?

Costs of the medical testing and the physician appointments are covered by the recipient’s insurance.

Travel and other costs may be covered by the National Living Donor Assistance Center. The Transplant Team can provide this information.

Benefits of Living Kidney Donation:

• Donating a kidney to a person in need may save a life.
• The transplant can greatly improve a recipient’s quality of life.
• Living kidney transplants usually last longer than transplants from a deceased donor.

Confidentiality: Donors have the right to decide if they do not want to donate at any time during the process. Personal and health information will not be shared with the recipient or his/her family. Health and safety is UMC’s priority with all living donors.

The transplant staff will discuss with you and your family the benefits and risks of donating an organ and will answer your questions. After you donate an organ, UMC's Living Donor Program coordinators and other transplant staff members will offer you support and follow-up care for two years after your surgery.

Finding a Donor

Types of Living Donors:

• Living Related Donor: A blood relative of a person waiting for a kidney transplant.
• Living Unrelated Donor: A person who is emotionally/personally connected to the person who is waiting for a kidney transplant.
• Non-Directed or Altruistic Kidney Donor: A person who volunteers to donate a kidney to an unknown recipient. This reduces the waiting time for the recipient and decreases the chance of a patient dying while on the wait list.

If a compatible living donor is not available, your name will be placed on the waiting listed for a deceased-donor kidney. Because there are fewer available kidneys than there are people waiting for a transplant, the waiting continues to grow. The waiting time for a deceased-donor kidney can be a year or longer.