Why Should I Become a Living Liver Donor?
Organ transplants can't happen without your generosity. There are more than 15,000 people in the U.S. waiting for liver transplants right now.
There aren't enough livers from deceased donors available. That means that many patients on the waiting list may die before an organ becomes available.
A living liver transplant gives patients another option. During a living donor liver transplant, you (a healthy, living person) give part of your liver to someone with end-stage liver disease. Living liver transplant is safe and effective.
How Does a Living Liver Donation Work?
In a living liver donation, the patient needing a liver transplant (recipient) gets a piece of a healthy liver from you, the living donor. You'll return to your usual health over time because the liver grows back to its normal size.
The donor surgery can be scheduled at a time that's most convenient for you. Also, the transplant can happen before the recipient becomes very sick or unstable.
The outcomes from living donor liver transplants are similar, and in some cases better, than deceased donor liver transplants.
Living Liver Donation Saved Josie
Josie's biliary atresia meant she desperately needed a liver transplant. When Christina Miller heard about baby Josie's condition, the call for a living liver donation went straight to her heart.
How Do I Get Started With Living Liver Donation?
Before we can check your health when you're thinking of making a living liver donation, you must first be:
- In good physical and mental health
- Between ages 18 and 60
- Willing to donate part of your liver
We'll do several tests to see if you can be a living donor, like blood tests and imaging.
If you're healthy, want to donate, and are a good candidate for it, we'll start planning the surgery. We'll set a date and go over the final details with you.