Living Kidney Donation: What You Need to Know

For people living with advanced kidney disease, a transplant can be a life‑changing option. While many patients receive kidneys from deceased donors, living kidney donation can often be a faster and sometimes more successful alternative. If you or someone you know is considering living donation, understanding the process can help you feel supported from the start. Our living donor transplant surgeon, Ryan W. Day, MD, explains the details to help you make informed choices about your health.

What Is Living Kidney Donation?

A living kidney donation is when a healthy person donates one of their kidneys to someone whose kidneys are no longer functioning effectively. Since most people can live normal, healthy lives with just one kidney, this type of donation is both safe and deeply impactful. “Living donation allows us to provide a transplant sooner and often with better outcomes,” says. Dr Day. “It’s truly a gift of time and renewed health for patients on the transplant waiting list.”

He continues, "Unlike deceased donor organs, which depend on availability from the organ allocation system, a living donor transplant can often be scheduled in advance — reducing waiting time and, in some cases, improving long‑term kidney function."

Benefits of Living Kidney Donation

For recipients, living kidney donation offers several important advantages:

• Better genetic matching potential between relatives may decrease the risk of long-term organ rejection and lower anti-rejection medication dosing.
• Improved kidney survival as living donor kidneys typically last twice as long as deceased donor kidney transplants.
• Planned surgeries give both the donor and recipient time to prepare and schedule the procedure when it's convenient for them.
• Shorter wait times allow treatment before health declines further or sometimes before dialysis is initiated.

For donors, the benefits are less medical and more personal — the chance to profoundly improve someone’s life. “As surgeons, we see incredible courage and compassion from donors,” says Dr. Day. “Many tell us that donating was one of the most meaningful experiences of their lives.”

Who Qualifies to Be a Living Kidney Donor?

Potential donors must meet certain health criteria to ensure their safety. To be eligible, donors should:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be in good overall physical and mental health
• Be free from diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, heart disease and uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Be willing and able to donate voluntarily without pressure or financial incentives
• Have healthy kidney function

There's no maximum age limit, and potential donors may include family members, friends, coworkers or even strangers. Additionally, living donors do not always need to be compatible. "Through paired-exchange donation, donors who aren't a match for their intended recipient can be matched with another donor-recipient pair in the same situation, allowing multiple people to receive lifesaving transplants," Dr. Day explains. "Surgeries in paired exchanges are sometimes performed on the same day."

What the Donor Evaluation Process Looks Like

The evaluation process is designed to protect donors' long-term health and ensure the best outcomes for both the donor and recipient. At AdventHealth, this includes several structured steps:

1. Online health screening: Anyone interested in donating begins with an online screening at AHLivingDonor.com. A Living Donor Coordinator will review the potential donor's medical history and help guide the next steps.
2. Comprehensive donor evaluation: Donors undergo thorough testing, including lab work, imaging, a physical exam by the transplant nephrologist and transplant surgeon and consultations with the Transplant Social Worker, Transplant Dietitian and Transplant Coordinator.
3. Compatibility review and scheduling: If the donor is compatible or can be paired through a donor exchange program, they may move forward. Once approved, surgery can be scheduled within weeks or postponed until the donor feels ready.
4. Surgery: Our robotic or single-incision laparoscopic surgical procedure for living-donor transplants results in less pain and scarring, as well as a quicker recovery time, so donors can return to normal daily activities within days and are back to work within weeks.

“Every evaluation is personalized,” says Dr. Day. “Our transplant team walks with donors through each step, so they feel informed and confident throughout the process.” This workup helps protect donors’ long‑term health and ensures the best possible outcome for both donor and recipient.

Taking the Next Step

Living kidney donation is a powerful act of compassion that can change — and even save — someone’s life. If you’re curious about becoming a donor or want to learn more about living donor kidney transplants, we’re here to help you explore your options and answer your questions. Learn more about our Living Donor Program at the AdventHealth Transplant Institute.