Consider the Risks Before Becoming a Living Donor

Ryan Arnold died four days after donating 60% of his liver to his brother, Chad Arnold. Nationally, this happens to two out of every 1,000 liver donors and 14 out of 51,153 kidney donors. Although many people make the decision to be a living donor as an emotional one without doing the research, advocates for living donors think people should consider all the risks before donating. Before becoming a living donor, utilize the following resources:

• Ask the surgeon many questions, including how many surgeries he/she does each year
• The consent form from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• The National Kidney Foundation
• Statistics from individual hospitals
• Livingdonorsonline.org
• The United Network for Organ Sharing
• The National Living Donor Assistance Center
• Livingdonor101

See Elizabeth Cohen, Live Organ Donation: Lifesaving but Risky, CNN, Aug. 19, 2010.