Start with the transplant program
A transplant center can explain medical evaluation, compatibility testing, donor protections, paired exchange and the steps that apply to a specific case.
Living Kidney Donation
Give someone more than time. Give them a future.
Living kidney donation can transform a life. The decision to donate must remain voluntary, informed and medically supervised, with donor safety and autonomy at the center.
A life-changing decision must remain a free decision.“For one person, it may be one kidney. For another, it may be a second chance at life.”
Two journeys. One place to begin.
Are you looking for a donor — or considering becoming one?
I NEED A LIVING DONOR
Understand your options without pressuring the people you love.
Learn how living donation works, how potential donors are evaluated, how paired kidney exchange may help, and how to share your story responsibly.
Share My Story PrivatelyI'M CONSIDERING DONATION
Learn first. Decide freely.
Asking questions or starting an evaluation does not obligate you to donate. Donor health, autonomy and informed consent come first.
Explore the Donor Journey
What is living kidney donation?
A healthy person may be able to donate one kidney.
Potential living donors undergo extensive medical and psychosocial evaluation by a transplant program. Donors may be relatives, spouses, friends, coworkers or, in some circumstances, people who do not know the recipient personally.
KidneyPro provides education and support. Medical eligibility, matching and surgical decisions belong to qualified transplant programs.
The donor journey
Learn. Evaluate. Decide.
- Learn about donation. Asking questions creates no obligation.
- Contact a transplant program. The donor is evaluated separately from the recipient.
- Complete medical and psychosocial evaluation. The goal is to identify and minimize risk.
- Review compatibility and options. Incompatibility does not always end the conversation.
- Make a voluntary decision. The decision to proceed belongs to the donor.
- Plan surgery, recovery and follow-up. Individual recovery and long-term care should be discussed with the transplant team.
When donor and recipient do not match
Kidney paired donation may create another path.
In paired donation, an incompatible donor-recipient pair may be matched with another pair so each recipient can receive a more compatible kidney. These exchanges are coordinated by transplant programs and established matching systems.
Learn from HRSA / OPTNDonor safety comes first
Living donation is major surgery and is not risk-free.
Potential donors should receive individualized information about immediate, short-term and lifetime medical and psychosocial risks, recovery, follow-up, pregnancy considerations when relevant, and financial or employment concerns.
A transplant program’s independent living donor advocate is there to protect the potential donor’s interests and rights.
A right worth protecting
You can change your mind.
A potential donor should be free to stop the process before donation according to the transplant program’s procedures. Donation must remain informed and voluntary — never the result of pressure, obligation or guilt.
For families
Love does not require someone to donate an organ.
Families can experience hope, fear, guilt and difficult conversations around transplant. KidneyPro supports honest education and voluntary decisions. A good outcome for a recipient should never come at the expense of ignoring a donor’s health, safety or autonomy.
Your privacy comes first
Your story is yours.
Information you submit for private review will not be published publicly without your clear permission. Story publication, photo publication, use of your name and permission to contact you are handled as separate choices.
You can choose:Private submission onlyFull name, first name, initials or anonymousWhich photos, if any, may be publishedWhether KidneyPro may contact you
Living donation questions
Does KidneyPro decide whether I can donate?
No. Medical eligibility must be determined by a qualified transplant program.
What if I am not compatible with the person I want to help?
Kidney paired donation or other transplant-program options may be available. Ask the transplant center to explain what is appropriate.
Can I change my mind?
The decision to donate belongs to the donor. Transplant programs explain how a donor may withdraw from the process.
Is living kidney donation risk-free?
No. It is major surgery and includes immediate, short-term and possible lifetime risks that should be discussed individually with the transplant team.
A safer way to start the conversation
Living donation can inspire hope, but the process should never depend on guilt, pressure or incomplete information. Education should protect both the recipient and the potential donor.
Keep donor autonomy visible
A potential donor can ask questions, pause an evaluation or decide not to proceed. The donor’s reasons and medical information are handled by the transplant team under its own privacy and safety process.
Plan beyond surgery
Recipients and donors may need help thinking about recovery, work, caregiving, travel, follow-up and emotional support. These practical issues deserve attention before a final decision.
Sometimes hope begins with one conversation.
Learn about donation, share your story privately, or ask a question.