Need a kidney?

Gerhardt

Gerhardt

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Gerhardt
I mentioned a few months ago that someone did something incredibly kind for my 20-year old daughter, and all he asked in return was that she pay it forward. She's limited in what she can do, but her dad.... One thing I've decided to do is donate a kidney, since I have 2 and only need one, and read that each year almost 5,000 people die waiting for a kidney transplant.

At this point it's set to be a non-directed donation. i.e. will go to someone at random. I have a short period of time where I can change that and direct it to someone. There's a lot of testing to match someone, so the odds are slim, but...if someone here has a loved one who needs one and is A+ blood type I'd be willing to test to see if it could be directed to them.
 
Wonderful gift. Had a local teacher do this recently, without any particular motivation - touching generosity. I watched a kidney transplant surgery once; moving event.
 
Amazingly generous, sir. Makes me realize I probably need a heart transplant. You have my sincere respect and admiration.
 
I'm keeping my backup for now, unless it's someone I know. I know people personally that have had kidney stones, and had they given away their good kidney prior to getting stones, they would now be on the list needing a transplant.
 
I've been on the appendix transplant list for a while now, still waiting on a donor.
 
Have wondered; if you donate a kidney...then find you need one yourself, do you get any kind of bump-up in the waiting list?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Have wondered; if you donate a kidney...then find you need one yourself, do you get any kind of bump-up in the waiting list?
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There’s a point system. You get an extra 4 points to help push you up on the list. That was my first question.
 
Lindberg said:
What an outstanding act of generosity.

Wow. The one thing I couldn't find in the article is a comparison of outcomes between US and Europe. It says we're more risk averse, but it doesn't seem to support a conclusion as to whether that's warranted. Regardless, with a living donor, I assume they wouldn't take the kidney out unless they're going to use it.
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Well the context of the article is deceased donors. Kinda typical knee jerk headline, but the article sounds reasonable to me. I would be reluctant to sign off on a sub-par kidney. Things go south and you know what happens next.

I signed up on the bone marrow donor list yesterday after reading this thread. My mom is in pediatrics. 10 years ago they had a party looking for a match for a kid in her office. At the time I was scared of having to donate and did not sign up. Now I wonder what if?
 
@Gerhardt that's an extraordinarily generous gesture. One that, I'll admit, I wouldn't be willing to make unless it was to save the life of my wife or my kids. But I am listed as an organ donor if I die, so if I croak and it doesn't occur in a ball of flames, they can have what they want. They can still have what they want if I go down in a ball of flames they just may not be able to find anything worth saving.

Interesting read in @EdFred 's article, but it definitely looks like that has to do with deceased people vs. living donors. One thing about the US healthcare system is that we tend to go for a risk-averse approach all around, which does not always produce optimal outcomes. The common practices for childbirth in this country are quite awful and produce worse statistics than some third world countries.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
@Gerhardt One thing about the US healthcare system is that we tend to go for a risk-averse approach all around, which does not always produce optimal outcomes.
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Sometimes the best choice for the patient might not be the lowest risk for the insurer or the physician. I imagine it's a tough balancing act all around. The physicians I know are very conscientious and patient-focused, but they sometimes are constrained within the system.
 
Half Fast said:
Sometimes the best choice for the patient might not be the lowest risk for the insurer or the physician. I imagine it's a tough balancing act all around. The physicians I know are very conscientious and patient-focused, but they sometimes are constrained within the system.
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I'm not blaming the doctors for this per se (although in some cases doctors are advocating for a "standard of care" that may not be appropriate in the situation), just stating what the situation is at the moment.
 
Impressive gesture @Gerhardt. I have heard the donors in some cases have it harder than the recipients. Good luck and fast healing.
 
Something happened last night that I didn't expect. Someone pointed me to the daughter of his co-worker and I touched base only to find out it probably won't work. Broke my heart.
 
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