Becoming a Kidney Donor

Elderly couple smiling

Give a Second Chance at Life: Become a Living Kidney Donor

According to the National Kidney Foundation, approximately 13 people die every day waiting for a kidney. And in the District of Columbia, of all people waiting for an organ donation, about 80 percent are waiting for a kidney.*

Kidney donations come from living and deceased donors. However, kidneys from living donors carry a reduced risk of organ rejection and recipients may make a faster recovery. The kidney begins working faster and tends to last longer than a kidney from a deceased donor. Plus, when a living donor offers a kidney, the recipient spends less time on the waiting list (and on dialysis) for a deceased donor kidney.

When deciding whether to be a living kidney donor, it is important that you make an informed choice.

*Organ Procurement & Transplant Network, 2014