Why We Should Pay Living Kidney Donors
I donated a kidney and you can, too. We can save thousands of lives.
Most people think of “being an organ donor” as something that happens after we die. But there is another option: Through a safe, minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, a healthy person can donate one of their kidneys while they’re still alive. Most of us were born with two kidneys, and we can live normal, healthy lives with just one. I have (more about me later).
There aren’t enough kidneys from deceased donors to meet the urgent need. About 90,000 people in this country, including about 2,000 children, are on years-long wait lists for a kidney. Each year thousands of kidney patients die while waiting or are removed from the list because they become too sick to undergo a transplant. Think of it: If they had received a kidney sooner, they would have been able to benefit from a lifesaving transplant.
If this is all news to you, you’re not alone. I didn’t know how rampant kidney failure was until my college-aged son developed chronic kidney disease from a strep infection (yes, you can get kidney disease even from such a common illness). Since then I’ve had a healthy respect for kidneys. You should, too.
