Living Organ Donation in Texas
About Living Donation
More than 8,500 (85%) of the approximate 10,000 Texans awaiting a lifesaving transplant could be saved through living donation.1
A living donation is when a living person donates an organ or part of an organ for transplantation. Most living donors donate one of their kidneys or a part of their liver. Living organ donors make thousands of transplants possible every year. Relatives, loved ones, friends, and even individuals who wish to remain anonymous often serve as living donors. Living donation often saves the patient a long and uncertain wait.
Did you know?
- Over 100,000 people nationwide are awaiting a lifesaving transplant; approximately 10% (10,000) are Texans. Of those 10,000 Texans waiting, approximately 40% are Hispanic.
- Approximately 85% of patients awaiting a lifesaving transplant need a kidney.
- In 2023, more than 6,900 transplants nationwide were made possible by living donors.
- Although over 15 million Texans are currently registered as potential donors after death, only a few hundred Texans have registered as a living donor.
Texans can register their decision in case the conditions at their time of death support actual donation by registering with the Glenda Dawson Donate Life Texas Registry (Donate Life Texas). The website currently does not include a capability to register as a living donor, so Texas has partnered with two existing living donor registries:
The National Donate Life Living Donor Registry
Launched in 2022, this national living donor registry reduces barriers for prospective living donors.
Individuals between the ages of 18-65 years who register their decision to be a deceased organ, eye, and tissue donor through the National Donate Life Registry will also be offered the opportunity to register their interest in being a living kidney donor.
The National Kidney Registry
This registry increases the number of kidney transplants from living donors, improves donor-recipient matches for longer-lasting transplants, and offers protection and support to living kidney donors to make the kidney donation process safer, easier, and more convenient.
Types of Living Donation
Who Can Donate?
Living donors should be in good overall physical and mental health and older than 18 years of age. Some medical conditions could prevent an individual from being a living donor. Since some donor health conditions could harm a transplant recipient, living donor candidates should share all known information about their physical and mental health. Potential donors should be fully informed of the known risks involved with donation. The decision to donate should be completely voluntary and free of pressure or guilt. Additionally, potential donors can delay or stop the process at any time.
How Do I Become a Living Donor?
1. Contact a transplant hospital
If you know a person you would like to help through living directed donation, contact the transplant program where the candidate is listed. If you would like to be a living non-directed donor, contact a transplant hospital of your choice to find out if they have this type of donation program. Visit the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Member Directory for a complete list of transplant hospitals.
2. Have an initial screening
This initial screening determines if you are compatible with the intended transplant candidate. This process includes a review of your medical history questions to determine if you have any conditions that would keep you from being a donor. If you are not compatible with that person, you may have other options to donate.
If you remain interested in being a donor after your initial screening, the staff will ask follow-up questions about topics that may impact your ability to donate. These include but are not limited to questions regarding risk of disease transmission, financial stability, support system, and the donation’s impacts to your lifestyle.
3. Talk with an independent donor advocate
Transplant hospitals must provide an independent donor advocate (IDA) to all potential donors. Your IDA should not be part of the potential transplant recipient’s medical team. The IDA will assist you during the donation process.
4. Get tested
Below are examples of some of the medical tests potential donors will undergo as part of their evaluation. All test results are kept confidential under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and no transplant candidate can access your personal information.
- Psychosocial and/or psychological evaluation
- Blood test
- Urine testing
- Chest X-Ray and electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Radiologic testing
- Gynecological examination
- Cancer screening
Learn More
Donate Life Texas Living Donation
National Kidney Donation Organization
United Network for Organ Sharing
1 United Network for Organ Sharing [UNOS] data and trends reports, https://unos.org/data/