Lily (her name has been changed to protect her privacy) had always planned to be an organ donor, checking the box on her driver’s license application for donation in the event of her death.
But when she learned that living donation can lead to amazing results for someone in need of a kidney and that each year more than 6,000 people in the U.S. donate a kidney, she decided to explore living donation. The spouse of one of her coworkers had been a living kidney donor, which gave her some encouraging insight into the process and the surgery.
“There are more than 100,000 people in the U.S. waiting for a kidney transplant,” she says. “I wanted to help one of them if I could.”
Lily got the ball rolling using the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital online evaluation form, which she says was a quick and easy process. After getting lab work and other predonation testing completed, her donation surgery was scheduled.
Lily was donating her kidney to a stranger, a process called non-directed donation. As part of the donation process, one option was to receive a voucher that could be used if a family member needed a kidney transplant in the future. Lily didn’t expect that outcome and was thrilled to learn she could donate her voucher to a child on the transplant waiting list. It’s one of the many ways we can work together to save lives and support families in need.
“If someone doesn’t feel strongly about naming family members as voucher recipients, they can designate themselves as a pediatric voucher donor,” explains Jennifer Verbesey, MD, director of Living Donor and Pediatric Kidney Transplantation with MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute and Children’s National Medical Center.
“Donors are paired with an anonymous pediatric patient listed at one of these two hospitals through the National Kidney Registry. We have a list of pediatric recipients who would benefit greatly from a living donor transplant. We were able to enter Lily into the National Kidney Registry with a pediatric recipient who then got an offer for a living kidney donor transplant. So, Lily did an amazing thing!”
Dr. Verbesey performed Lily’s donation surgery, which was successful, and her kidney was sent to a recipient in another state. As part of the kidney donation, a pediatric patient received a voucher for a transplant when they were ready for the surgery, so Lily was able to provide lifesaving transplants for two people that day. She was discharged from the hospital the next day, feeling good. “I had a fantastic experience at MedStar Georgetown. The staff were very supportive and Dr. Verbesey was wonderful. I had essentially no pain and was walking the next day. It was a rapid recovery and I’m living my life with no limitations or concerns,” she says. “The donation was very meaningful to me,” she adds. “A formative experience. And, I’m grateful to Dr. Verbesey and her team for making it possible.”
“Donors like Lily are able to transform lives,” says Dr. Verbesey. “Living donor kidneys tend to work faster and last longer and are, by far, a better option for pediatric patients if possible. Our goal is to do as many living donor transplants as possible in the pediatric population. And when people choose to become pediatric voucher donors like Lily, they can make this happen.”
Give the gift of life. Be a living kidney donor. Visit MedStarHealth.org/LivingDonorKidney to learn more about living donation or to fill out an evaluation form. Or call 202-444-3700.