To be completely honest, donating a kidney takes an ongoing commitment that shouldn’t be entered into lightly.
Donating a kidney requires a series of tests to make sure that you are a good match for me. If you are not, that is not a barrier. What happens instead is you donate a kidney to someone who needs one, and I move to the top of the list to get one. It becomes a sort of thread of help for me and others.
If you are worried about your own health – don’t. People get along just fine with one kidney. It is a procedure that is done all the time. In addition, if you later in life develop kidney disease, you are moved to the top of the list for a donor. In a way, it is a form of insurance.
The first step is to reach out to me via the online email form. I will get back to you quickly!
The next step is to set up the appointments for the screening process. This may take more than one visit to do. Optimally, you live nearby to the center I am affiliated with, but if not, that is not an issue. We can still make it work.
Finally, there is the surgery. It takes about 5 hours. Recovery time is pretty quick. You will be back on your feet in two days, and can go back to work well within two weeks. This all depends on your health and age. There are some restrictions, as is the case with any surgery. No heavy lifting for a while. You must take care of the incision area until it heals. Post-operative work can possibly be handled by the hospital near you, so you won’t have to travel so far.
If you have had a blood born disease such as hepatitis, that is not a barrier to you being a donor. There are medications I can take that will get it under control for me, so I can live a healthy, normal life.
You will be in the rare group that has given the gift of life to someone else. Tell others about your experience. Spread the word.