Phone (617) 732-6866, option 3

About Living Kidney Donation

Living kidney donation is generous act that can save someone鈥檚 life.  At the Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital Living Donor Center, we guide you through every step 鈥� 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 , , and .

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鈥檚 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 鈥溾�� or 鈥溾�� 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
  • Many describe the process as being a
• 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鈥檚 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 and the to offer:

• Convenient Lab Locations
  • Testing can be done close to home with , or sometimes
• • Talk with someone who has already donated and can share their experience
• • You can donate even if you are not a match for your intended recipient
  • If you donate to a stranger, you can 鈥渟ave鈥� a voucher so a family member can receive a living donor kidney transplant in the future if ever needed
• Transplant
  • More centers mean more donor and recipient matches and more flexibility in scheduling surgery including
• • Help with travel, lodging, dependent care, and pet care
• • Covers time away from work during surgery and recovery
• • 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 .
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鈥慏ay Medical Evaluation

If your lab results look good, you will come to Brigham and Women鈥檚 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 鈥� not on recipient care 鈥� 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鈥�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鈥慽nch incision used in traditional open surgery.

Contact Our Living Donor Center

Living Donor Center
Phone (617) 732-6866, option 3
Fax (617) 394-3217
BWHKidneyDonorInfo@partners.org