Why Does Organ Donation Matter?
Dr. Cuffy: Today, there are over 100,000 people who are on the transplant waiting list. That means individuals are waiting for one thing: a life-saving organ. And it's people who donate; it's donors who step up to the plate, giving someone else hope. And that's the reason why donation is so important. Whether that's living donation while you're alive—donating a part of your liver or one of your kidneys—or even in deceased donation, where people think after death, if I'm involved in a car accident, how can I reach out and help someone?
Every day, approximately 17 individuals will die on a transplant waiting list. That means individuals are out there just waiting, who just can't make it because they haven't received an organ. And this is why the process of donation is important.
Why Do People Choose to Become Living Donors?
Dr. Cuffy: There are many reasons. Most people do it because they know someone who needs a transplant—they're trying to save their life. The second reason could be that someone they wanted to donate to received a kidney, and then they think, you know what, I should help somebody else. Another particular reason could be that someone heard a story about someone donating.
Right now, there are so many donors that actually donate and have gone on to incredible things—we had someone recently who donated and went to climb Mount Everest. So they go and do that, and then somebody else says, wait, so I could do the same thing, too? That's usually how it is: the majority of people hear a story about somebody out there who's searching for a transplant, and they step up.
Can I Live a Normal Life With Only One Kidney?
Dr. Cuffy: The answer to that is yes. In fact, many individuals live a normal life. The remaining kidney actually grows and expands, and you're actually able to cover about 70 to 80% of the normal kidney function after donation.
What if I Need a Kidney Later in Life?
Dr. Cuffy: That rarely happens. And in fact, there is a very small chance that a person who donates a kidney actually needs a kidney transplant. But if it does happen in the future, there are mechanisms where living donors gain priority on the kidney transplant waiting list for receiving a kidney.
What Can Be Donated as a Living Donor?
Dr. Cuffy: The top two organs that are donated are a part of the liver—that means you give up a piece of the liver that goes to a person who has liver failure, who needs a transplant. It could also go to a child as well. That piece of liver that you donate eventually grows back to its normal size. The other organ that can be donated is a kidney. Most people are born with two kidneys, and usually one of those kidneys can be donated to save someone else's life.
Who Covers the Cost of Kidney Donation?
Dr. Cuffy: In fact, there's actually minimal cost to the donors. The actual workup is covered by the recipient's insurance. And if there are fees that are passed on to the donor accidentally, some small incremental amounts, that's usually covered by the transplant center.
What Is It Like to Tell a Patient They're Getting an Organ?
Dr. Cuffy: So many people may wonder what it is like for an individual who receives that call saying, ‘Come to the hospital, we have a transplant available for you.’ For those people who are waiting, it's important and it's actually joyous. It's a feeling they've been waiting for—some months, some years—just waiting for the possibility. Some of the patients who I've called personally told me one thing: they didn't think it was possible. But every day at UC Health, we go out there, and we strive for one thing—to help those who are waiting for that phone call, and giving them that call of hope and opportunity as they receive their life-saving organ transplant.
