1. CONCERN: The donor will feel bad if the recipient’s body rejects the donated kidney…
FACT: Kidney transplants are the most successful organ transplants, with a 90-95% success rate. Living donor kidneys generally last 15-20 years, while deceased donor transplants last 10-15 years.
2. MYTH: Donating a kidney is a dangerous procedure…
FACT: Most donors only spend 1-4 nights in the hospital and can return to work in 2-3 weeks. The risk of complications from a donation is low, but as with any major surgery, there are risks involved.
3. MYTH: Out-of-pocket expenses for the donor will be too high…
FACT: The recipient’s insurance policy covers the transplant and transplant-related follow-up. The recipient’s insurance does NOT cover lost wages and medical treatment post-transplant. American Transplant Foundation (ATF) can provide financial assistance for lost wages to Colorado donors in need.
4. CONCERN: What if a donor will need a kidney transplant later in life?
FACT: Estimated risk of kidney failure 15 years after donation is three per 1,000 donors. Donors have lower rates of kidney failure than the general population (0.9% vs. 3.26%), but 0.14% higher lifetime risk compared to healthy nondonors. Should a donor ever need a kidney, he/she would be given priority on the list
5. MYTH: Transplant team members will pressure someone to be a donor…
FACT: Donors are free to change their minds about donation at any time during the evaluation process. Donors will not be responsible for informing the recipient if they choose not to donate.
6. MYTH: Donating a kidney reduces the donor’s life expectancy…
FACT: Donating a kidney does not reduce the live donor’s life expectancy. Interestingly enough, people who have donated a kidney outlive the average person.
7. CONCERN: I don’t completely understand what evaluation, surgery, and recovery are like for the donor…
FACT: Transplant centers offer all the information you need about living donation. Support programs like ATF’s 1+1 = LIFE Mentorship Program help connect recipients and donors with those who have already undergone the process.
8. CONCERN: The donor’s family will not receive care while the donor recovers…
FACT: ATF provides financial assistance and mentorship to Colorado donors, recipients, and families to help make the process simpler for families facing financial hardship.
9. MYTH: No one will volunteer to be a donor…
FACT: Since the first successful donation in 1954, over 175,000 people have become living donors, with 6,500 happening annually on average. Also, 1 in 4 donors aren’t biologically related to the recipient. If your family members/friends are not a match, they can still save your life through paired exchange programs
10. CONCERN: The recipient will feel guilty if someone donates…
FACT: Living donors are true heroes. Most donors say that seeing their recipient’s improved health after transplant outweighs the pain and inconvenience of donating.
11. MYTH: Not all religions support living donation…
FACT: All major religions in the U.S. support living and deceased organ donation.
12. CONCERN: I have never met a living kidney donor. Can I speak with someone who has been through the process?
FACT: American Transplant Foundation’s volunteer mentors can provide specific advice and guidance and share their journeys as living donors.
13. CONCERN: Surgery will affect the donor’s ability to have children…
FACT: Most women who get pregnant after donating experience no problems with their pregnancy, however, donors are more likely to have difficulties during pregnancy.
14. CONCERN: The surgery scars will be unattractive…
FACT: Depending on the type of surgery, scars can be as small as 3 inches long and fade with time.
15. MYTH: The donor needs to be a family member to be a match…
FACT: A living donor doesn’t need to be biologically related to the recipient. Donors must usually be between the ages of 18 and early 60s. Donors must be willing to donate, have a blood type compatible with the recipient’s (kidney swap is also an option), and not suffer from diabetes or high blood pressure.
16. MYTH: The donor pays for everything…
FACT: The transplant recipient’s Medicare or private health insurance will pay for the following for the donor: evaluation to determine if the person is a good candidate for living donation; donation surgery; and post-operative care.
17. MYTH: If a person isn’t a match, there is no hope, and it is the end of the road…
FACT: There are three types of donation: directed, non-directed, and paired. Paired is also known as a kidney exchange, where candidates “trade” donors to receive a kidney from a compatible donor.
Transplant at a Glance
Over 103,000 people in the United States are currently on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant. This is the lowest it has been since 2009. The list topped at 124,000 at its height in 2014.
- The US saw a 7.5% increase in deceased donors last year- from 13,863 in 2021 to 14,903 in 2022
- Another name is added to the national transplant waiting list every 9 minutes.
- On average, 16 people die every day from the lack of available organs for transplant.
- One deceased donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and can save and enhance more than 75 lives through the lifesaving and healing gift of tissue donation.
- Organ recipients are selected based primarily on medical need, location and compatibility.
- Over 850,000 transplants have occurred in the U.S. since 1988.
- Organs that can be donated after death are the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, small intestines, hands, face and uterus. Tissues include corneas, skin, middle ear veins, heart valves, tendons, ligaments, bones, and cartilage.
- The cornea is the most commonly transplanted tissue. More than 44,000 corneal transplants take place each year in the United States.
- A healthy person can become a ‘living donor’ by donating a kidney, or a part of the liver, lung, intestine, pancreas, uterus, blood, or bone marrow.
- About 6,000 living donations occur each year. One in three donors are not biologically related to the recipient.
- The buying and selling of human organs is not allowed for transplants in America, but it is allowed for research purposes.
- In most countries, it is illegal to buy and sell human organs for transplants, but international black markets for organs are growing in response to the increased demand around the world. Learn more about Transplant Tourism.
- Liver and kidney disease kills over 96,000 each year, more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
- 1 in 7 or 37 million Americans have kidney disease – and most don’t even know it.
- Organ disease is a massive public health issue, and organ transplantation can be a lifesaving treatment option. There are nearly as many people dying per year of organ disease as are on the transplant waiting list currently!
How can we help you?
We will match you with a certified personal mentor to help you throughout your transplant journey. They know what you are going through and can relate in ways others cannot. After all, all of them are recipients, donors, or caregivers themselves. We are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and are not affiliated with any transplant centers. Visit our 1+1=LIFE Mentorship Program webpage to learn more.
