"Any live donor, even if its a total mismatch is better than the best deceased donor," says Dr. Shield of St. Francis Hospital, Kansas, "Kidneys from a living donor are always healthier." *

This quote is the primary reason why, in the face or an ever-growing transplant waiting list, the emphasis in the  medical community is on increasing living organ donations, rather than prevention of end-stage renal failure or increasing deceased donation.

The main goal of Living Donor 101 is to provide the prospective, current, or past living donor with the information and support necessary to make or live with their decision to be (or not be) a Living Donor.

It's an unfortunate fact that not every transplant center is as attentive to their living donors as they should be. Most are lax in their follow-up and after-care; emotional and psychological support is practically non-existent on any level.

Living Donor 101 wants to correct that deficit, and hopefully encourage the transplant community to do the same.

Inside:

Quick Facts on living donation; an explanation of Types of Living Donation; research studies; and more importantly, some issues you might not have considered;

Despite public and media perception, there are Risks, Complications and Consequences to being a Living Donor. We attempt to compile available research so an informed decision can be made, and current Living Donors can assess their own health and well-being.

The Process of becoming a Living Donor -  Reasons for becoming a living donor, Blood type and HLA matches, Pros and Cons, medical evaluations and considerations, and especially the psychological and emotional aspects;

After talks about what to expect post-surgery, physically and psychologically, including the possible long-term consequences of your decision, and how to best maintain your health and protect your remaining kidney from damage and disease.

Legal includes a brief history of federal transplant legislation and state laws governing living donation - tax implications, leave of absences and otherwise, as well as Dead Bills, legislature introduced but never acted upon.  

Links are useful sites, pages, resources and blogs. Includes some in-depth reading on public policy regarding living donation.

We are very much still under construction so if there is something you would like to see added to the site, please do not hesitate to contact us.

All proceeds from sales support the care and feeding of this site. If you would like to contribute design ideas or graphics, please contact info@LivingDonor101.com

*http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=9365060