Why you might want to consider becoming a living organ donor

Living organ donation saves lives

Imagine if you saw someone step off a curb, oblivious to a bus coming from behind.

Of course, you would help them out of the way, even if the person were a total stranger.  

Still, thousands of people die each year waiting for someone to donate a kidney or section of liver, with no hope or help.

In the United States, most people are familiar with the donor registry. This means that when you die, some of your organs can go on to help someone else. While this is an excellent option, too many people die or get too old or sick to receive a transplant because there are too few organs.

This is why we need more people to come forward to donate a spare kidney or portion of their liver while they are still alive. In Nebraska alone, we have more than 200 people waiting for a kidney donor, and more than 100 waiting for a liver. You can visit this website to get a daily total of patients on a waiting list by state. Once you have clicked on the link, choose your state, "Waiting List," then, "Overall by Organ."


You do not need to be a family member of a patient to donate

Illustration of how paired living organ donation worksMany people mistakenly think you need to be a close relative of the person needing a kidney or liver to be a donor. However, that is not the case. Some patients do not have a close relative who is a match for them, so an unknown donor is their only hope. 

Nebraska Medicine also specializes in creating big kidney chains, which helps maximize the number of kidney transplants. We perform more kidney chains than almost any other hospital in the country.

We also created a page full of questions people considering donating a kidney or portion of a liver frequently ask. Feel free to call us at any time with your questions: 800.401.4444.


Become a living organ donor

If you are ready to become a living donor, we offer online forms to help initiate the process.

To donate a kidney

Button to the English version of the form that kicks off the process to become a living kidney donor

Sea un donante en vida de rinon!

 

To donate a liver

Button to the form you fill out to become a liver living donor

Sea un donante en vida de Higado!

 

Other ways you can help 

Register for organ donation on your driver’s license
Deceased organ donation is the process of giving an organ or part of an organ, at the time of death. You can register for this at Live on Nebraska and urge friends or family members to register as well. 

Help someone find a donor through social media
If you know someone who is currently seeking a donor (whether at Nebraska Medical Center or elsewhere) we can help guide you through ways you can get the word out on social media.  

Educate your circle by sharing our patient stories
Share stories of our former patients who have had transplants, like when we performed a liver transplant to save the life of this little girl, or the kidney transplant chain, which started with an altruistic donor.

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Have questions? We're here to help.

Contact us to make an appointment

800.401.4444