Many kidney failure patients wait years for a kidney transplant because there are not enough donor kidneys are available, but living kidney donation offers an alternative solution. Rather than waiting to match with a donor kidney on the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) transplant wait list, you may be able to find a living donor who agrees to donate one of their two healthy kidneys to you. Kidneys from living donors generally last longer and work better than kidneys from deceased donors. At the University of Chicago Medicine, many of the kidneys donated to our patients come from living donors.
Are you Eligible to be a Living Donor?
This questionnaire is for friends, family and others who are considering being a living donor.
Take our living donor questionnaireFrequently Asked Questions about Living Kidney Donation
A potential living kidney donor needs to meet the following requirements:
- Over the age of 18
- No significant medical illnesses
- Willing to donate a kidney of their own free will
Yes. UChicago Medicine now offers virtual kidney transplant education sessions with our transplant outreach specialists. You'll have the opportunity to ask questions, and you can also start the kidney transplant process by completing an intake questionnaire.
Information for Kidney Donors
As a kidney donor, you’ll be evaluated by an expert team of kidney specialists to make sure you’re healthy enough to undergo the operation involved in donating a kidney and continue with your daily activities after recovery. Today, most donors have a kidney removed through a minimally invasive procedure called a laparoscopic nephrectomy; this involves the use of a camera and instruments that are passed through small incisions in the abdomen to remove a kidney.
We encourage you to contact us to learn more about living donation, even if you’re uncertain as to whether it’s right for you. For an overview of living kidney donation and an introduction to the donation evaluation process, watch our Living Donor Kidney Transplant Education Video. If you have any questions, please contact our living donor coordinator or another member of the transplant team. They will answer your questions when you come in for an evaluation appointment.
Watch our Living Donor Transplant Education Session.
For more information, contact our living donor intake coordinator at 773-702-0620 or living.donor@uchospitals.edu.
Thinking of donating your kidney to someone in need? UChicago Medicine welcomes non-directed donors – individuals who wish to donate a kidney to a stranger who needs a transplant. We evaluate these donors with the same thorough criteria as directed donors to ensure you’re physically and psychologically able to donate. You may wish to donate to an individual on our kidney transplant waitlist, or have our living donor intake coordinator register you with the National Kidney Registry to enable a chain transplant in which multiple patients receive transplants.
What you should know about living kidney donation
Our kidney transplant surgeon answers FAQs about living kidney donation.
Read the full articleRich Matula and his living kidney donor and friend, Mike Blake, tell their story
Running club coach, Rich Matula, had polycystic kidney disease needed a transplant. Fortunately he didn't have to look far for a match, when a member of his running club stepped up to donate.
