4 ms·

One thing that would cross my mind before donating to a stranger: what if a family member of mine needed a kidney in the future, and my donation to a stranger i

One thing that would cross my mind before donating to a stranger: what if a family member of mine needed a kidney in the future, and my donation to a stranger in the past left me unable to donate to them? I would be interested if you thought about this.

paulluuk 2y ago
This is the first thing everyone thinks about before donating a kidney, I think. I think some questions to add to this list: What if your kidney isn't compatible with that of your family member, and they'd have to rely on a stranger's donation? How would you then feel about never having donated in the past? What if you donate your kidney to a parent, only to find that a year later your child needs your kidney? What if you donate your kidney to a family member and they later end up ruining your life? There are so many "what-if" scenarios possible. Ultimately I think it boils down to probabilities vs effectiveness.
- lkbm 2y ago
  > What if your kidney isn't compatible with that of your family member, and they'd have to rely on a stranger's donation? How would you then feel about never having donated in the past? Donation chains partially address this. But more importantly, donation now means you and your family get bumped up to the top of the list if needed later.
ant6n 2y ago
See comment in this thread: „I’m donating through the national kidney registry, which means that I (and five close family members) will pop to the top of the transplant list if I ever need one.“
pkaye 2y ago
In the US, if you donate and later need a kidney yourself, they you will be put on the front of the transplant list. I believe it also applies if your family member needs a kidney also but I not certain. > If you donate at a transplant center that partners with the National Kidney Registry and for any reason, need a kidney after donation, you will be given priority for a living don https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/what-to-expect-after-donation https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/what-to-expect-after-... Also its common that family members cannot be a compatible donor. For example I'm type O blood and all my living family members were not type O or had other health issues that would disqualify them. And kidney transplant chains are another thing. Each recipient has a donor that is not a direct match but will donate to someone else when their recipient gets a match. And a non-directed donor usually starts off the chain. https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/k/kidney-transplant-surgery/types/chain-donation.html https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/k/kidney-t...
shepherdjerred 2y ago
Others have already answered, but I'll repeat it: you can designate five family members _before_ your surgery who can receive a kidney if they ever need one. This isn't perfect as you're unlikely to know ahead of time who might need a kidney, and you're relying on the NKR to continue to exist. Honestly though, this wasn't a factor in my donation. 100,000 people in the US need a kidney today -- this is more important than a possible need in the future. I understand that many don't share my viewpoint, though. If you have more questions, there's lot of good info here: https://www.donor-shield.org/kidney-donors/ https://www.donor-shield.org/kidney-donors/

paulluuk 2y ago

This is the first thing everyone thinks about before donating a kidney, I think. I think some questions to add to this list: What if your kidney isn't compatible with that of your family member, and they'd have to rely on a stranger's donation? How would you then feel about never having donated in the past? What if you donate your kidney to a parent, only to find that a year later your child needs your kidney? What if you donate your kidney to a family member and they later end up ruining your life? There are so many "what-if" scenarios possible. Ultimately I think it boils down to probabilities vs effectiveness.

lkbm 2y ago
> What if your kidney isn't compatible with that of your family member, and they'd have to rely on a stranger's donation? How would you then feel about never having donated in the past? Donation chains partially address this. But more importantly, donation now means you and your family get bumped up to the top of the list if needed later.

ant6n 2y ago

See comment in this thread: „I’m donating through the national kidney registry, which means that I (and five close family members) will pop to the top of the transplant list if I ever need one.“

pkaye 2y ago

In the US, if you donate and later need a kidney yourself, they you will be put on the front of the transplant list. I believe it also applies if your family member needs a kidney also but I not certain. > If you donate at a transplant center that partners with the National Kidney Registry and for any reason, need a kidney after donation, you will be given priority for a living don https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/what-to-expect-after-donation https://www.kidney.org/transplantation/what-to-expect-after-... Also its common that family members cannot be a compatible donor. For example I'm type O blood and all my living family members were not type O or had other health issues that would disqualify them. And kidney transplant chains are another thing. Each recipient has a donor that is not a direct match but will donate to someone else when their recipient gets a match. And a non-directed donor usually starts off the chain. https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/k/kidney-transplant-surgery/types/chain-donation.html https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/k/kidney-t...

shepherdjerred 2y ago

Others have already answered, but I'll repeat it: you can designate five family members _before_ your surgery who can receive a kidney if they ever need one. This isn't perfect as you're unlikely to know ahead of time who might need a kidney, and you're relying on the NKR to continue to exist. Honestly though, this wasn't a factor in my donation. 100,000 people in the US need a kidney today -- this is more important than a possible need in the future. I understand that many don't share my viewpoint, though. If you have more questions, there's lot of good info here: https://www.donor-shield.org/kidney-donors/ https://www.donor-shield.org/kidney-donors/