The Living Donor Program (LDP) is a professional and community outreach program dedicated to increasing the number of living donors through:

• education - by providing comprehensive, easy-to-understand overviews of living donation and transplantation. Educational sessions can be adapted to individuals, small groups or community audiences and can be easily arranged by contacting the LDP via phone or email.
  
  
• advocacy - by making sure that patients and donors either have the informationthey need or know what questions to ask so that they can make informed decisions concerning living donation and transplantation.
  
  
• support - by providing patients, donors and their families with the guidance they need to negotiate the donation/transplantation process.

What is living donation?
Living donation is the voluntary act of a living person giving an organ or part of an organ to another person for transplantation. Download the Living Donor Brochure for more information.

Why living donation?
Thousands of people are dying each year waiting for an organ transplant. Living donation can help solve this problem.

Who can consider being a living donor?
A person must be at least 18 years of age, very healthy, and must meet the medical and psychological criteria specified by the Transplant Center.

Who pays for the donor's medical costs?
The recipient's insurance should cover all hospital-related costs. Not covered are the donor's time off from work, lost wages, travel and lodging expenses. The donor may also be responsible for the blood test which identifies blood type (A, B, AB or O).

Will having only one kidney increase the risk of getting kidney disease?
There is no evidence of increased kidney disease in donors. Life expectancy, fertility and the ability to have children are not affected.

Do donors have to be related to the recipient?
No. Donors can be family members, friends, co-workers, or even strangers.

Are kidney transplants from living donors more successful than kidney transplants from cadaver donors?
Yes. Kidney transplants from living donors generally last several years longer than kidney transplants from cadaver donors.

Can I live with one kidney?
Yes. After donating a kidney, a donor can live a long, healthy life with one healthy kidney. The remaining kidney simply grows larger so that it can take over the work for both kidneys.

How do I learn more?
Simply call the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia's Living Donor Program at (770) 452-1539 or email Judy Bellenger. You can also download Transplant 101: A Guide to Living Donor Transplantation and Transplant Centers in Georgia: Information & Referral from the front page of the NKFG website.