Living Donor
The best gifts change lives.
Due to the shortage of available organs and the successful outcomes following organ transplants from living donors, Jefferson’s Transplant team encourages transplants between spouses, friends and even strangers. In fact, nearly one-quarter of live donor transplants now come from donors who are not blood relatives.
Living Liver Donors
Offered at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
During a living donor liver transplant, a portion of the liver is removed from the live donor and placed into a recipient who has a diseased liver. The liver is the only organ that has the ability to regenerate, so the partial section will grow so that both donor and recipient will have a normal size liver. Those who decide to become a living donor have the same life expectancy rate and quality of life.
Living Kidney Donors
In a living donor kidney transplant, a kidney is removed from a live donor and placed into a recipient whose kidneys no longer function properly; only one donated kidney is needed to replace two failed kidneys. Those who choose to become living donors have the same life expectancy rate and the same quality of life as those who have never donated a kidney.
Kidney Paired Exchange
We partner with national organ registries to work with live donors and their recipients – helping to facilitate transplantation between relatives or nonrelative donor pairings. Our team of transplant coordinators, live donor advocates, financial coordinators, social workers and medical specialists work together to provide comprehensive support to both donors and recipients.
Nicoletti Kidney Transplant Center
At the Nicoletti Kidney Transplant Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, you can find a revolutionized live donor evaluation process, which has helped us to increase the number of living donors, improve the patient experience and educate patients and families on the benefits of living donation. Additionally, as a Donor Shield Center, we remain committed to eliminating the financial burden of living donations. Donor Shield protections may include lost wage, travel and lodging reimbursement, legal support and much more.
Benefits of Donating
Living donor transplants offer several benefits over deceased donor transplants, including:
- Better short- and long-term survival rates for recipients
- Less time spent on a waiting list, which may prevent deterioration of health or the need to start dialysis
- Responsiveness — living donor organs almost always work immediately; there can be a delay in function in deceased donor organs
Interested in being considered as a living donor?
Please complete our referral form below:
Liver Donor
Kidney Donor
Do You Meet the Requirements for Donating an Organ?
To donate a kidney or liver for a friend or loved one, you must meet a number of criteria:
- Be in good health and free of chronic illness
- Kidney Donation: Have two normal-functioning kidneys
- Liver Donation: Have a fully functioning liver
- Be willing to undergo a series of physical exams and tests, including: chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, blood studies, CT scan, urine studies
- Undergo a social service and psychological evaluation
- Be at least 18 years of age
Are You & the Recipient Compatible?
In the event that a potential living donor is incompatible with their intended recipient and a nonrelated living donor is unavailable, a living organ exchange is another option available at Jefferson.
We recognize that living donor exchange is currently the best solution to the problem of incompatibility between willing living donors and their potential recipients when no other living donor options exist.
- Blood typing
- Tissue typing
- Cross matching
- Antibody screening
These tests help to determine how well the donor's organ will be accepted by the patient's body after transplant.
What If You & the Recipient Are Not Compatible?
In the event that a potential living donor is incompatible with their intended recipient and a nonrelated living donor is unavailable, a living organ exchange is another option available at Jefferson.
We recognize that living donor exchange is currently the best solution to the problem of incompatibility between willing living donors and their potential recipients when no other living donor options exist.