Living Kidney Donation

Earlier this year I learned that a childhood friend of mine has been battling kidney disease. Over the past few years, his kidney function has declined, and he is now to the point where he will need to be on dialysis, which is merely a bridge to getting him a transplant. After learning more about his situation, I decided to consider living kidney donation. We are still in the “approval” process. However, I have progressed far enough along that I will need to make a few trips out to Boston to meet with the medical team that will be doing the surgery. The surgery will be completed at Massachusetts General Hospital, a premier center for Kidney Transplants.

There are a few things to know about living kidney donation. I will still live a full, healthy life with whichever kidney they choose to leave for me. If for any reason I need a kidney in the future, I would get moved to the top of the list (which is currently a 6-year wait). Did you know there are currently 100,000+ people on the kidney transplant waiting list and less than 19,000 transplants from deceased donors in 2021? Another important statistic, and part of what helped in my decision, transplants from living donors typically function better and last longer, which ultimately provides Peter with a better chance of survival.

While much of the medical costs will be covered by insurance, there will be considerable travel costs, time away from work without pay, and other expenses that are unfortunately not covered by insurance! The funds raised through this effort will go to Peter and me for all things related to our journey to kidney transplant. Peter and I have also agreed that any funds that go unused will be donated to the kidney transplant center.

Peter and I greatly appreciate any donation you can make to help us along our journey and make living kidney donation a reality! From the bottom of our hearts… THANK YOU!!!