INTEGRIS Health Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute

We invite you to review the information provided regarding our Living Donor Program. Should you determine that you meet the necessary qualifications for becoming a living donor after your review, we encourage you to complete our Living Donor Eligibility form.

Living Donor Eligibility Form

Understanding Living Kidney Donation

Living kidney donations are vital because many people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for kidney transplants.

Importance of Living Kidney Donation

The United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) reports that 30-40% of kidney recipients benefit from living donors.

Advantages of Living Kidney Donation

Organ and patient survival rates improve.
Recipients face shorter wait times.
Transplants can be scheduled ahead of time.

Who Can Be a Living Donor?

Potential donors must be 21 or older, in good health and free from the following conditions:

Type I or type II diabetes
Uncontrolled high blood pressure determined individually by age of onset and number of blood pressure medications
A current cancer diagnosis with the exception of skin cancer
Kidney disease excluding stones
Heart disease
Uncontrolled mental health
BMI (body mass index) above 35
Infectious diseases such as active Hepatitis, HIV or AIDS

Each donor is evaluated individually for suitability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the process?

The kidney transplant team reviews your health history questionnaire. You may be contacted for further information.
Before testing begins, your recipient must be approved for kidney transplantation.
If the team approves, you will be contacted to begin testing, requiring multiple appointments with our transplant team.

What testing is required?

Testing includes:

Blood tests
X-rays
Social worker evaluation
Living donor advocate assessment
Transplant nephrologist consult
Transplant surgical consult
Transplant coordinator education

Additional testing may be required based on age and sex including:

Colonoscopy
Cardiac testing
Mammogram
Pap smear
Other tests based on your evaluation

What is the cost of being a living donor?

The cost of the living donation (evaluation, surgery and follow-up) is covered by the recipient’s insurance. However, the recipient’s insurance will not cover your time off work, travel or other out-of-pocket costs accrued. In addition, the donor cannot receive payment for the donation. In 1984, the U.S. Congress passed the National Transplant Act, which makes it illegal to buy or sell organs.

How long will I be off work?

The evaluation process will likely take three to five clinic visits. The donation is typically a three-to-four-day hospital stay. Depending on the type of work and surgical procedure, you may be required to be off work for up to eight weeks. Many of our patients return to work earlier.

What if I change my mind?

Living donation is a completely voluntary procedure. Donors should be free of guilt or pressure around the decision. If at any time before the surgery you decide living donation is not in your best interest, we will stop the evaluation process. Your decision to withdraw from evaluation will be kept confidential.

How do I know if I’m a match?

Potential donors must have compatible blood types with their recipient. If the blood types are incompatible, the donor and recipient pair has the option of enrolling in the paired kidney donation program.

Cross-matching: a blood sample will be used to test the recipient’s reactivity to your blood.

What if I live out of state?

Potential donors who live out of state will have limited testing available unless a local kidney transplant facility in your state is willing to set up testing for you.

Where can I find additional information?

Want to Be a Living Donor?

Fill out this form after learning about the living donor kidney transplant program at INTEGRIS Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute.

An Orchestrated Connection: A Kidney Transplant Story

Dennis Sharp and Rachel Allen had known each other since high school, but they had no idea just how interconnected their lives would become.

View Podcast

For questions, please call 405-949-3816 and ask for the Living Donor Coordinator.