Become a living donor
Phone (617) 732-6866, option 3
About Living Kidney Donation
Living kidney donation is generous act that can save someone’s life. At the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Living Donor Center, we guide you through every step – from the first health questionnaire to your surgery and follow-up care.
Details for You: BWH Guide to Living Kidney Donation (PDF)
We support information provided by National Kidney Foundation, UNOS, and American Society of Transplantation.
We have a long history of helping patients who need a kidney transplant learn how to find a living donor.
What is Living Kidney Donation?
A living donor kidney transplant happens when a healthy person gives one of their kidneys to someone who needs one. Nearly half of the kidneys transplanted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are given by living donors.
A donor can be:
- A family member
- A friend
- Someone not related
- An altruistic donor (someone who donates to help anyone in need.)
If a donor and recipient are not a good medical match, we may offer a Kidney Paired Exchange. This is a “swap” or “chain” involving more than one donor and recipient so everyone gets the best match possible.
Why a Living Donor Kidney Can Be Better
- Shorter wait time
- People often wait more than 5 years for a deceased donor kidney
- Less waiting means less time on dialysis and better overall health
- Better match
- More donor options, including family members, can lower the chance of rejection
- Faster recovery after surgery
- Living donor kidneys usually start working right away
- This often means no dialysis after surgery and a shorter hospital stay
- Longer-lasting kidneys
- Living donor kidneys often last 15-20 years
- Deceased donor kidneys usually last 7-10 years
- Planned timing
- Surgery can be scheduled, making it easier to plan for work, family, and support needs
How Living Kidney Donation Can Help You
- Personal Satisfaction
- Saves a Life
- If you donate to someone you know, it results in more time with your loved one.
- Quality of Life Benefit
- Donors who are related to their recipients can have an improved quality of life as they watch their loved one’s health improve compared to dialysis
- Benefits Others
- Your gift can enable multiple transplants. It also shortens the time others in need of a kidney must wait on the deceased donor waitlist
How the Living Donor Center Supports You
You will have a dedicated nurse coordinator who is your main contact throughout the process. We also partner with Quest Diagnostics and the National Kidney Registry to offer:
- Convenient Lab Locations
- Testing can be done close to home with Quest, or sometimes at home
- Donor Mentors
- Talk with someone who has already donated and can share their experience
- Voucher Program
- You can donate even if you are not a match for your intended recipient
- If you donate to a stranger, you can “save” a voucher so a family member can receive a living donor kidney transplant in the future if ever needed
- Transplant Member Centers
- More centers mean more donor and recipient matches and more flexibility in scheduling surgery including remote donation
- Donor Expense Reimbursement
- Help with travel, lodging, dependent care, and pet care
- Lost wage Reimbursement
- Covers time away from work during surgery and recovery
- Kidney Prioritization
- If you ever need a kidney in the future, you will receive priority for a living donor transplant
What the Testing Process Looks Like
Donating a kidney is a meaningful decision. We want you to understand the benefits and risks clearly.
Step 1: Health Questionnaire
You will complete a questionnaire.
A donor coordinator reviews your answers and lets you know if you can move forward.
Step 2: Blood and Urine Tests
If you are eligible, you will complete basic lab tests at a location near you.
Your coordinator will give you instructions.
Step 3: One‑Day Medical Evaluation
If your lab results look good, you will come to Brigham and Women’s Hospital for a full evaluation. Most people complete all testing in one day.
You will meet with:
- Nurse coordinators
- Social workers
- Surgeons
- Nephrologists (kidney doctors)
- A donor advocate
These team members focus only on donor safety — not on recipient care — so they can fully support your needs.
Donor Surgery: Minimally Invasive Kidney Removal
Since 2005, we have used a minimally invasive technique called a retroperitoneal flank approach.
Benefits may include:
- Less pain
- Shorter hospital stay
- Faster return to normal activities
Our team has performed more than 450 of these surgeries with excellent outcomes.
How the surgery works
- Surgeons make one small incision (2–3 inches) below the belly button.
- They make four tiny openings for surgical instruments.
- A small camera shows the surgical area on a screen.
This approach avoids the large 10‑inch incision used in traditional open surgery.
Contact Our Living Donor Center
Become a living donor
Living Donor Center
Phone (617) 732-6866, option 3
Fax (617) 394-3217
BWHKidneyDonorInfo@partners.org
