I'm often asked by someone if they can donate a kidney. It's certainly not a simple yes/no answer. You need to be at least 18 years old and you'll have to be evaluated by a transplant hospital....of course, you have to be healthy enough to donate. Sometimes hospitals are overwhelmed when many friends and family members contact them to be evaluated only to find out that many are ruled out after being asked just a few medical history questions.
If you have a chronic illness, it is unlikely that you will be allowed to donate. A few of the health conditions that will usually preclude someone from donating are diabetes, high blood pressure, or a history of cardiac or respiratory problems. Being overweight or obese, or a family history of kidney disease may also preclude you from being considered. However, there isn't a national standard used for evaluating donors, so you might be ruled out at one hospital, only to be accepted at another transplant hospital.
If you have a health condition that precludes you from donating, you can still be helpful by becoming an advocate for the person in need. You can let others know about your friend or family members need for a transplant and educate them about the process. Your advocating on their behave is very credible since you wanted to donate, but were ruled out for medical reasons.
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit organization that offers Workshops and Get-Togethers to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org or follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/harveymysel
Friday, December 18, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
13 Transplant.....26 Opterations
Thirteen men and women have a second chance at life. They all received new kidneys in a groundbreaking series of transplants at Georgetown University Hospital and Washington Hospital Center. These 2 hospitals....applause.....got together and were able to match people to make it happen.
Paired kidney exchanges are now quite common, but 13 transplants at once...WOW!
It amounts to the largest kidney transplant in history. It was a complicated puzzle of mixing and matching 13 donors and 13 recipients.
One recipient, Christopher Conte a single father of four spent 10 hours a day on dialysis. "This is the most clear lesson about the kindness of strangers and never underestimate it."
Tom Otten, who donated his kidney, said, "My goal was to get my wife healed, but in addition to that, I got to help another family and be part of this whole big chain."
Then there are the Sylvia Glasers, the altruistic donors doctors hope this story inspires. Glaser didn't know anyone in need, but gave nonetheless.
She said, "It's doing a kindness and saving someone's life and that's what I feel that I've done."
Roughly 82,000 people are on the kidney transplant list in the U.S. The Washington Metro area has one of the highest rates of kidney disease.
To read the full story - http://bit.ly/4N6PXk http://bit.ly/71k2Q3
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit organization that offers Workshops and Get-Togethers to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org or follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/harveymysel
Paired kidney exchanges are now quite common, but 13 transplants at once...WOW!
It amounts to the largest kidney transplant in history. It was a complicated puzzle of mixing and matching 13 donors and 13 recipients.
One recipient, Christopher Conte a single father of four spent 10 hours a day on dialysis. "This is the most clear lesson about the kindness of strangers and never underestimate it."
Tom Otten, who donated his kidney, said, "My goal was to get my wife healed, but in addition to that, I got to help another family and be part of this whole big chain."
Then there are the Sylvia Glasers, the altruistic donors doctors hope this story inspires. Glaser didn't know anyone in need, but gave nonetheless.
She said, "It's doing a kindness and saving someone's life and that's what I feel that I've done."
Roughly 82,000 people are on the kidney transplant list in the U.S. The Washington Metro area has one of the highest rates of kidney disease.
To read the full story - http://bit.ly/4N6PXk http://bit.ly/71k2Q3
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit organization that offers Workshops and Get-Togethers to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org or follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/harveymysel
Monday, December 14, 2009
Risks of Living With One Kidney - Similar to Living with Two
Researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine that people who donate a kidney have about the same probability of survival over several decades as people in the general population. And donors seem to have adequate kidney function and even less risk of severe kidney disease than occurs in the general public.
Researchers pored over a database of kidney transplants performed at the University of Minnesota between 1963 and 2007. Using this data and death records from the Social Security Administration, the scientists were able to asses the mortality rate among 3,698 people who gave away a kidney within that time span.
The survival curves of these donors and the general public are close, even favoring the donors slightly. And the rate of end-stage renal disease, which necessitates dialysis and can put a person on a waiting list for a new kidney, was lower among the donors than in the general population. “We got a vivid proof that the donation of vital organs is absolutely safe”, – said Dr. Matthew Cooper, a transplant surgeon at the University of Maryland, who did not participate in the study.
It was somewhat surprising to the researchers, and quite reassuring that rates of end-stage renal disease were also lower in kidney donors than in the general population.
Are you concerned about being a kidney donor...or for someone that is offering to donate? Do you have some other questions about being a donor?
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
Researchers pored over a database of kidney transplants performed at the University of Minnesota between 1963 and 2007. Using this data and death records from the Social Security Administration, the scientists were able to asses the mortality rate among 3,698 people who gave away a kidney within that time span.
The survival curves of these donors and the general public are close, even favoring the donors slightly. And the rate of end-stage renal disease, which necessitates dialysis and can put a person on a waiting list for a new kidney, was lower among the donors than in the general population. “We got a vivid proof that the donation of vital organs is absolutely safe”, – said Dr. Matthew Cooper, a transplant surgeon at the University of Maryland, who did not participate in the study.
It was somewhat surprising to the researchers, and quite reassuring that rates of end-stage renal disease were also lower in kidney donors than in the general population.
Are you concerned about being a kidney donor...or for someone that is offering to donate? Do you have some other questions about being a donor?
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Yesterday,There Were More Than 16 Living Kidney Transplants Performed!
...and there will be more than 16 today and tomorrow, and every day, 365 days a year.
Living kidney transplants are becoming common procedures at transplant hospitals. Many of them perform over 200 transplants a year.
Who are the donors? In the past, they had to be a close relative, with the same blood type. Ten years ago, almost 80% of the living donors were related, now, it's only 57%. It's because the "matching" criteria has changed, a result of newer and better anti rejection drugs. The donor doesn't even need to be the same blood type as the recipient.
Living donors come from some of the most unlikely of connections. These stories are only from the past few weeks:
• …an employee received a kidney from their boss.
• …chance meeting at a 20 year school reunion resulted in someone donating.
• …a marine donated to a 15 year old stranger.
• ….priest donates to a parishioner….another donation was from the parishioner to the priest.
• …a paired kidney exchange resulted in 9 incompatible pairs matched with 9 other incompatible donors.
• …landlord donates to tenant.
• …in Washington DC, over 4 days, 2 hospitals performed a seven-way paired kidney exchange.
• …From Minnesota to Arizona, a five-way paired kidney exchange.
And connections were made with old friends through the social media sites Facebook and Twitter, where there were 2 successful transplants.
Do you have a new idea on how to spread the word?
Living kidney transplants are becoming common procedures at transplant hospitals. Many of them perform over 200 transplants a year.
Who are the donors? In the past, they had to be a close relative, with the same blood type. Ten years ago, almost 80% of the living donors were related, now, it's only 57%. It's because the "matching" criteria has changed, a result of newer and better anti rejection drugs. The donor doesn't even need to be the same blood type as the recipient.
Living donors come from some of the most unlikely of connections. These stories are only from the past few weeks:
• …an employee received a kidney from their boss.
• …chance meeting at a 20 year school reunion resulted in someone donating.
• …a marine donated to a 15 year old stranger.
• ….priest donates to a parishioner….another donation was from the parishioner to the priest.
• …a paired kidney exchange resulted in 9 incompatible pairs matched with 9 other incompatible donors.
• …landlord donates to tenant.
• …in Washington DC, over 4 days, 2 hospitals performed a seven-way paired kidney exchange.
• …From Minnesota to Arizona, a five-way paired kidney exchange.
And connections were made with old friends through the social media sites Facebook and Twitter, where there were 2 successful transplants.
Do you have a new idea on how to spread the word?
Sunday, December 6, 2009
What does Occam's Razor have to do with kidney transplants?
Definition of Occam’s Razor;
The notion that the simplest explanation of a problem is the most beneficial. William of Occam was a fourteenth century philosopher who articulated this principle - a 21st Century equivalent is what we know as the “KISS” principle, “keep it simple stupid.”
Is Living Kidney Donation the simplest explanation to ending the shortage of available kidneys?
Let’s start with some facts:
• There are only two ways to receive a kidney transplant, from a deceased or a living donor.
• Studies show that the demand for kidneys would not be met even if kidneys were recovered from all potential deceased donors.
• Tragically, over 4,500 people die every year waiting for a kidney transplant.
• Kidneys from living donors last almost twice as long as ones from deceased donors.
• In 2006, Medicare spent $23 Billion, (representing 6.4% of their total budget) caring for patients with end-stage renal disease. (80% of those waiting for a kidney transplant are on kidney dialysis, representing the majority of this cost).
• The savings for every person on kidney dialysis getting a transplant has a present value savings of $1 Million, let alone the quality of life benefits.
In 2008, 45% of all kidney transplants were from living donors, individual’s motivated to help family members, friends or others in need. While this is encouraging, it reflects that the other 55% have not successfully sought living donation. This demonstrates the overwhelming need to develop better living donation awareness programs for patients and the general public in order to end the wait, save lives and have better transplant outcomes.
If Occam were alive today – wouldn’t he conclude that living kidney donation is the simplest explanation to solving this crisis?
Please share your thoughts and views about how we could increase the number of kidney transplants.
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
The notion that the simplest explanation of a problem is the most beneficial. William of Occam was a fourteenth century philosopher who articulated this principle - a 21st Century equivalent is what we know as the “KISS” principle, “keep it simple stupid.”
Is Living Kidney Donation the simplest explanation to ending the shortage of available kidneys?
Let’s start with some facts:
• There are only two ways to receive a kidney transplant, from a deceased or a living donor.
• Studies show that the demand for kidneys would not be met even if kidneys were recovered from all potential deceased donors.
• Tragically, over 4,500 people die every year waiting for a kidney transplant.
• Kidneys from living donors last almost twice as long as ones from deceased donors.
• In 2006, Medicare spent $23 Billion, (representing 6.4% of their total budget) caring for patients with end-stage renal disease. (80% of those waiting for a kidney transplant are on kidney dialysis, representing the majority of this cost).
• The savings for every person on kidney dialysis getting a transplant has a present value savings of $1 Million, let alone the quality of life benefits.
In 2008, 45% of all kidney transplants were from living donors, individual’s motivated to help family members, friends or others in need. While this is encouraging, it reflects that the other 55% have not successfully sought living donation. This demonstrates the overwhelming need to develop better living donation awareness programs for patients and the general public in order to end the wait, save lives and have better transplant outcomes.
If Occam were alive today – wouldn’t he conclude that living kidney donation is the simplest explanation to solving this crisis?
Please share your thoughts and views about how we could increase the number of kidney transplants.
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Benefits and Misconceptions of Preemptive Kidney Transplants
Preemptive Transplant – A transplant performed prior to starting kidney dialysis.
Almost all preemptive kidney transplants are the result of having a living donor. Approximately 15% of all kidney transplants are preemptive, up from 9% in the early 1990’s.
The Benefits
People who receive a kidney transplant before beginning dialysis have lower rates of kidney failure and lead longer lives. Also, the longer someone is on kidney dialysis the lower the transplant success rates.
The Misconception
More than half of the people waiting for a kidney transplant believe that you need to be on dialysis in order to have a transplant.
The following statistics are from a survey and subsequent report titled Barriers to Preemptive Kidney Transplantation which was published in the November 2009 issue of the American Journal of Nursing:
• Fewer than 2.5% of patients with end stage renal disease undergo transplantation as their initial therapy.
• Most respondents were willing to accept a kidney from a living donor, although they were uncomfortable with asking someone to donate.
• Substantial barriers to preemptive kidney transplantation remain…lack of education is among the most common barrier found in the survey.
• There are also possible psychosocial barriers, such as anxiety and misconceptions about the process, along with reservations about finding and approaching a potential living donor.
• When asked when they had their first discussion with a health care professional about living kidney donation, 27% of all respondents reported that it didn’t occur until after they started dialysis, and nearly 10% reported never discussing transplantation with any health care professional.
• Only 26% of all patients found out about living-donor options in time to consider preemptive transplantation.
Lack of knowledge about living kidney donation and the fear of asking someone to donate were the two most common issues mentioned in the study.
A copy of the study, Barriers to Preemptive Kidney Transplantation is available at: http://lkdn.org/barriers.pdf
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
Almost all preemptive kidney transplants are the result of having a living donor. Approximately 15% of all kidney transplants are preemptive, up from 9% in the early 1990’s.
The Benefits
People who receive a kidney transplant before beginning dialysis have lower rates of kidney failure and lead longer lives. Also, the longer someone is on kidney dialysis the lower the transplant success rates.
The Misconception
More than half of the people waiting for a kidney transplant believe that you need to be on dialysis in order to have a transplant.
The following statistics are from a survey and subsequent report titled Barriers to Preemptive Kidney Transplantation which was published in the November 2009 issue of the American Journal of Nursing:
• Fewer than 2.5% of patients with end stage renal disease undergo transplantation as their initial therapy.
• Most respondents were willing to accept a kidney from a living donor, although they were uncomfortable with asking someone to donate.
• Substantial barriers to preemptive kidney transplantation remain…lack of education is among the most common barrier found in the survey.
• There are also possible psychosocial barriers, such as anxiety and misconceptions about the process, along with reservations about finding and approaching a potential living donor.
• When asked when they had their first discussion with a health care professional about living kidney donation, 27% of all respondents reported that it didn’t occur until after they started dialysis, and nearly 10% reported never discussing transplantation with any health care professional.
• Only 26% of all patients found out about living-donor options in time to consider preemptive transplantation.
Lack of knowledge about living kidney donation and the fear of asking someone to donate were the two most common issues mentioned in the study.
A copy of the study, Barriers to Preemptive Kidney Transplantation is available at: http://lkdn.org/barriers.pdf
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
Monday, November 30, 2009
The “Pinking” of America
It seems the whole world is focused on breast cancer, pink ribbons are everywhere. We are living in a virtually pink world.
This is a great achievement and an excellent demonstration of what happens when many people speak out for a common cause.
You can take this example and bring it down to the personal level by having more people, advocates help spread the word about your need for a kidney transplant. After all, the only way someone can offer to donate is if they are knowledgeable about living kidney donation and aware of your need.
Here are just a few ideas on how you and your advocates can spread the word:
• Write an email or letter to the people you know.
(See http://livingkidneydonorsnetwork.org/letter_from_friend.html for an example)
• When you, (or your advocates) are asked, “what’s new,” let them know!
• You can get creative, as when I met someone who wore a pin that said, “Ask me why I need a Kidney Transplant”. That will prompt you to start a conversation.
• Does your school, place of worship or other organization have a newsletter? Ask them if they would be interested in writing a story about you. A member of a religious organization followed up with a letter after their religious leader let the congregation know about her situation.
(See http://livingkidneydonorsnetwork.org/letter_religious.html )
• Local TV, radio or newspapers write stories all the time about people who need a kidney transplant.
Create your own stepping stones!
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
This is a great achievement and an excellent demonstration of what happens when many people speak out for a common cause.
You can take this example and bring it down to the personal level by having more people, advocates help spread the word about your need for a kidney transplant. After all, the only way someone can offer to donate is if they are knowledgeable about living kidney donation and aware of your need.
Here are just a few ideas on how you and your advocates can spread the word:
• Write an email or letter to the people you know.
(See http://livingkidneydonorsnetwork.org/letter_from_friend.html for an example)
• When you, (or your advocates) are asked, “what’s new,” let them know!
• You can get creative, as when I met someone who wore a pin that said, “Ask me why I need a Kidney Transplant”. That will prompt you to start a conversation.
• Does your school, place of worship or other organization have a newsletter? Ask them if they would be interested in writing a story about you. A member of a religious organization followed up with a letter after their religious leader let the congregation know about her situation.
(See http://livingkidneydonorsnetwork.org/letter_religious.html )
• Local TV, radio or newspapers write stories all the time about people who need a kidney transplant.
Create your own stepping stones!
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
In Pursuit of a Living Kidney Transplant
When someone in need of a kidney transplant is instructed to “find a living donor”, one of their first thoughts is, “how am I going to ask someone to donate a kidney to me?”
In reality, most living donors say they volunteered to donate once they heard about their family member or friend’s need. Health care professionals need to advise their patients: rather than “ask" someone to donate, just let people know about your situation. Although it’s a subtle difference, it could have a significant impact on your willingness and state of mind to let people know about your need.
Once armed with knowledge about living kidney donation, you’ll then need to effectively communicate your need and the information you’ve learned. If you have initial unease discussing the subject, then practice and rehearse what you want to say with a confidante such as a family member or friend who can also become an advocate on your behalf. Advocates are often the ones to educate the person who ends up being your donor.
Letting people know about your need for a kidney transplant may at first seem overwhelming. However, once you get started it’s often not as difficult as you might imagine. Develop a plan and start slowly. The more people you speak to, the easier it will get and the greater your chances will become of a donor finding you. Donors often come from the most unlikely connections, and as such, reach out to everyone you know. As a final word of encouragement, in the U.S. there are more than 16 successful living kidney transplants performed every day…perhaps the next one will be yours!
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
In reality, most living donors say they volunteered to donate once they heard about their family member or friend’s need. Health care professionals need to advise their patients: rather than “ask" someone to donate, just let people know about your situation. Although it’s a subtle difference, it could have a significant impact on your willingness and state of mind to let people know about your need.
Once armed with knowledge about living kidney donation, you’ll then need to effectively communicate your need and the information you’ve learned. If you have initial unease discussing the subject, then practice and rehearse what you want to say with a confidante such as a family member or friend who can also become an advocate on your behalf. Advocates are often the ones to educate the person who ends up being your donor.
Letting people know about your need for a kidney transplant may at first seem overwhelming. However, once you get started it’s often not as difficult as you might imagine. Develop a plan and start slowly. The more people you speak to, the easier it will get and the greater your chances will become of a donor finding you. Donors often come from the most unlikely connections, and as such, reach out to everyone you know. As a final word of encouragement, in the U.S. there are more than 16 successful living kidney transplants performed every day…perhaps the next one will be yours!
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Answer to Increasing the Number of Kidney Transplants is Right Under Our Noses
Welcome to my Blog. If you are in need, or are helping someone who needs a kidney transplant, I hope you will learn more about how to pursue a successful living kidney donations through these blogs. I established the Living Kidney Donors Network after recognizing the need for better resources when I was pursuing a successful living kidney transplant in 2007. My purpose is to share the knowledge I acquired and help you build the confidence so you can realize the life changing benefits of a transplant from a living donor. Solutions are in everyone’s grasp.
The good news is that there are 6,000 living kidney transplants performed every year…that’s means there are more than 16 people a day, 7 days a week receiving a kidney from a living donor. Understanding why these people choose to donate, and how they found out about the recipient’s need, could be the answer to solving the shortage of available kidneys.
Hospital transplant programs inform their patients about the importance of finding a living donor. Most patients don’t have any idea how to even start the conversation with family or friends. The fear of asking someone to donate is the number one reason given for not pursuing living donation. In truth, patients rarely need to ask directly. Most living donors say they volunteered to donate once they heard about their family member or friend’s need. When kidney patients realize that they do not have to ask directly, they become more comfortable in discussing their situation openly with everyone they know – exponentially increasing their chances of finding a living donor.
It is critical to develop better education and communication programs to help kidney patients spread the word about their need for a transplant. We must also educate the public about the need for living donors, and the process of donation. Having accurate and detailed information makes a person more likely to become a donor when they hear that a friend or family member is in need.
Increasing the number of living kidney donors is the only way to reduce the current 5+ year wait for a kidney transplant, and eventually eliminating the waiting list altogether. The solution is “right under our noses.” I believe that educational programs for people who need a kidney transplant and a public awareness campaigns about living kidney donation will increase the number of living kidney transplants.
When surveyed after the transplant, living donors are quick to respond that they would donate again, without hesitation. They are happy with the decision they made, and say they feel a unique kind of pride and contentment - seeing firsthand what a profound impact their gift has had on another human being. A joy that confirms that it is better to give than receive.
Future blogs will focus on helping to educate you about the living donation process and helping you to become more comfortable about speaking to family and friends about your need.
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
The good news is that there are 6,000 living kidney transplants performed every year…that’s means there are more than 16 people a day, 7 days a week receiving a kidney from a living donor. Understanding why these people choose to donate, and how they found out about the recipient’s need, could be the answer to solving the shortage of available kidneys.
Hospital transplant programs inform their patients about the importance of finding a living donor. Most patients don’t have any idea how to even start the conversation with family or friends. The fear of asking someone to donate is the number one reason given for not pursuing living donation. In truth, patients rarely need to ask directly. Most living donors say they volunteered to donate once they heard about their family member or friend’s need. When kidney patients realize that they do not have to ask directly, they become more comfortable in discussing their situation openly with everyone they know – exponentially increasing their chances of finding a living donor.
It is critical to develop better education and communication programs to help kidney patients spread the word about their need for a transplant. We must also educate the public about the need for living donors, and the process of donation. Having accurate and detailed information makes a person more likely to become a donor when they hear that a friend or family member is in need.
Increasing the number of living kidney donors is the only way to reduce the current 5+ year wait for a kidney transplant, and eventually eliminating the waiting list altogether. The solution is “right under our noses.” I believe that educational programs for people who need a kidney transplant and a public awareness campaigns about living kidney donation will increase the number of living kidney transplants.
When surveyed after the transplant, living donors are quick to respond that they would donate again, without hesitation. They are happy with the decision they made, and say they feel a unique kind of pride and contentment - seeing firsthand what a profound impact their gift has had on another human being. A joy that confirms that it is better to give than receive.
Future blogs will focus on helping to educate you about the living donation process and helping you to become more comfortable about speaking to family and friends about your need.
Harvey Mysel is a kidney transplant recipient and Founder of the Living Kidney Donors Network, a nonprofit organization that offers Workshops to educate people in need of a kidney transplant about living kidney donation and helps prepare them to effectively communicate their need to family members and friends. The Living Kidney Donors Network website is: www.lkdn.org and Harvey could be reached at: harvey@lkdn.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
