How to Become a Living Organ Donor

At UPMC, we believe in the lifesaving power of living donation. For patients in need of a liver or a kidney transplant, a living donor transplant is a first-line treatment option — not a last resort.

Register to Become a Living Organ Donor

To schedule an evaluation for living donation, please select the location you would like to register at below, complete the form, and a member of the transplant team will reach out to you in the near future.

What is a Living Donor?

 A living donor is someone who donates a kidney or part of their liver while they are still alive to someone who needs an organ transplant.

What are the benefits of being a living donor?

Living donor transplants help save the lives of people with end-stage liver or kidney disease by reducing their time on the national transplant waiting list. Because they are healthier at the time of transplant, these patients often have improved outcomes and a quicker recovery.

Living donors are given the rare chance to save someone else’s life and see their friend, loved one, or even a stranger return to health and happiness. 

What are the long-term risks of being a living donor?

There is a low risk of long-term complications for living organ donors. Living kidney donors may experience increased blood pressure over time and have a slightly higher-than-average risk of developing diabetes or kidney failure. Rarely, living liver donors may experience liver failure.

What are the types of living donations?

There are three main types of living donation, including:

• Directed donation — A living donor chooses a recipient for their organ. Often, directed donations are made by family members or close friends.
• Nondirected donation — Also known as an altruistic donation, a living donor gives their organ to someone they don’t know. The donation may be anonymous.
• Paired donation — Also known as a “swap,” this occurs when two or more recipients trade willing donors. Paired donations occur when a living donor and their intended recipient are not a match.

Advanced donation for living donors

Another type of living donation is known as advanced donation. Advanced donation is an option when a living donor needs to donate their organ right away, but the recipient is not yet medically eligible for a transplant.

In this situation, the donor would have their living-donor surgery right away. Their intended transplant recipient would receive a voucher that can be redeemed for an available organ when they are ready.

Who is Eligible to be a Living Donor?

Living donors can be family members, friends, or even a stranger who is willing to help. A patient on the transplant list and their potential living donor don’t even need to have the same blood type. 

To be a living donor, you need to be physically and mentally healthy, with no history of illnesses involving any major organs, as this could complicate surgery.

To be a living-liver donor, you must be between 18 and 60 years old. To be a living-kidney donor, you need to be between 18 and 75 years old. And, most importantly, you must have an unselfish desire to help someone in need.

What Living Donation Procedures do we Offer? 

Living-donor transplant procedures include:

Living-donor liver transplant

During a living-donor liver transplant, a surgeon removes a portion of a healthy adult’s liver and transplants it into a patient with end-stage liver disease. The liver has the unique ability to regenerate, or regrow, in just a few months, leaving both the living donor and the recipient with a fully functioning liver.

Living-donor kidney transplant

During a living-donor kidney transplant, a surgeon removes one kidney from a healthy adult and transplants it into a patient with end-stage kidney disease. This procedure is possible because, although you have two kidneys, you can live a perfectly healthy life with only one working kidney.

What Can I Expect? 

During the process, living donors can expect:

Pre-donation evaluation

Before scheduling living-donor surgery, you will undergo a thorough pre-donation evaluation.

This assessment will ensure that:

• You can tolerate the surgical removal of your kidney or part of your liver and remain healthy after, with no increased health risks.
• The transplant recipient will benefit from your donor kidney or part of your liver.

You will also meet with the living donor transplant team and have an opportunity to ask questions, ensuring you and your care partner understand all of the risks and benefits of living donation.

Who pays for living donation surgery?

The recipient’s insurance and UPMC will cover the cost of the evaluation and donor operation. The donor will not be responsible for any part of the transplant evaluation or surgery. During the evaluation visit, a financial coordinator will meet with the donor to answer questions about the process.

Living donation procedure

During your living donation procedure, your surgeon will remove your kidney or part of your liver and transplant it into the recipient’s body. The procedure will take three to five hours.

After living donation

After your living donation procedure, you will need to spend a few days in the hospital and attend follow-up appointments to ensure you are healing as expected. Most living donors can return to work within eight weeks, depending on their job.

UPMC offers supportive services for living donors to promote a healthy lifestyle and physical, mental, and emotional well-being after organ donation.

Why Choose UPMC for Living Donation?

 When you choose UPMC for living donation care, you will receive:

• Access to experienced, board-certified specialists — Since 1988, our surgeons have performed more than 2,600 living-donor kidney transplants. UPMC is also one of the oldest and largest liver transplant programs in the country. Since the program's inception in 1981, more than 6,000 adults have received liver transplants — with more than 1,000 from living donors.
• Expert care for complex cases — As one of the nation's most active and experienced transplant programs, we have vast experience in living-donor transplants that allows us to take on some of the most complex cases.
• Personalized living-donor care — From thorough evaluation to world-class treatment, we provide a patient-centered approach to care throughout the entire transplant process. Your dedicated transplant team will guide and support you each step of the way.

Learn More About Living Organ Donation