If you’re on dialysis, it means your kidneys aren’t working well enough to remove waste and extra fluids from your body. Dialysis helps manage this, but it isn’t a cure. A kidney transplant is seen as the best long-term treatment.
1. Living Kidney Donors – A Lifeline
One of the best sources of kidney donation is a living donor. A healthy person can live a normal life with one kidney, making living donation a safe and common practice.
Who Can Donate as a Living Donor?
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- – Family Members: Parents, siblings, children, uncles, aunts, and even cousins can be good matches due to genetic similarity.
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- – Spouses or Friends: Even without a genetic connection, these individuals may still be a suitable match.
- – Altruistic Donors: These are strangers who willingly donate a kidney out of compassion.
2. Deceased Kidney Donors – The Most Common Source
If a living donor isn’t available, you might receive a kidney from a deceased donor. These are individuals who have passed away, either from brain death or cardiac arrest, and had previously registered to donate their organs.
How It Works:
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- – You are placed on a national transplant waiting list.
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- – Matching is based on blood type, HLA typing, and medical urgency.
- – When a kidney becomes available, your transplant center will contact you.
3. Kidney Paired Donation – A Smart Option
Sometimes, a family member or friend wants to donate, but they aren’t a match for you. That’s where kidney exchange or paired donation comes in.
How It Works:
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- – You and your donor are matched with another incompatible recipient-donor pair.
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- – Each donor gives their kidney to the other’s patient.
- – Both patients receive a kidney that matches them.