LIVING KIDNEY DONORS |
DECEASED KIDNEY DONORS |
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A living kidney donor elects to give his or her kidney to someone with end stage renal disease (ESRD) |
A deceased kidney donor allowed his or her usable organs to be taken from their body at their death |
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A kidney donor’s life expectancy is not decreased |
Demand for kidneys outweighs the supply (more than 99,000 people on waitlist) |
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Kidney will likely last longer compared to one from a deceased donor |
It can be difficult to find a living donor (6K deceased donations vs. 3.7K living donations in 2016) |
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Transplant can typically occur much sooner |
Length of time on waitlist varies based on several factors UNOS manages, including genetic compatibility with donors, health status and available donors |
Know someone who would like to donate a kidney? Visit the National Kidney Registry to start the process.
Want to become an organ donor? Visit OrganDonor.gov to sign up.