Mayo Clinic Rochester Paired Donation

I am currently on the kidney transplant list. While I have the possibility of receiving a deceased donor kidney, I am also actively looking for a living kidney donor. The wait for receiving a kidney from a deceased donor can be as long as 8 years. Statistically, after 15 years, the survival rate of a person with my particular kidney disease, Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), falls to 38% if they do not receive a kidney transplant; I was diagnosed 17 years ago. Also, a kidney from a living donor can often times last twice as long as one from a deceased donor.

Through paired donation at the Mayo Clinic, my wait time for a transplant can be shortened considerably. One of the main reasons for that is blood type. I have Type O blood. Type O blood is considered to be a universal donor type; meaning, they can donate to anyone with any blood type. Unfortunately, having Type O blood and needing to be donated to is not universal. The only type blood I can receive a kidney from is someone with Type O. This is where Paired Donation is critical! ANYONE can donate a kidney for me. It does not matter what blood type you have! You do NOT need to be a match for me. Here is how it works: If you want to donate a kidney to me but you are not a match to me; the Mayo Clinic will match your kidney to another person in need of a transplant and I would then receive a kidney from a different living donor who IS a match for me. So, not only would you be giving the gift of life to me, you would be giving the gift of life to another person in need of a kidney transplant. 

If you are interested in learning more and possibly becoming a living kidney donor for me, please follow the link to the Mayo Clinic Paired Donation to learn more about their program. You can also fill out the brief Health History Survey to get started to see if you could be a potential donor. 

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