Living Kidney Donor Program FAQ

Please contact the Living Donor Program at University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) at 206.598.3627or visit uwmedicine.org/donor.

Just call the living donor phone line at 206.598.3627. We’ll do a brief phone interview and give you some information about the donation process. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

Alternatively, you can start by visiting uw.donorscreen.org to start the brief intake screening form. A member from our team will contact you after completion to provide more information on the process and review your form. This is a non-binding process; you can change your mind at any time.

The process, from your initial inquiry to potentially being approved as a donor, takes approximately three to six months and depends upon the required tests, the test results and the recipient’s status. We will move at your preferred pace and evaluation can be stopped or paused at any time.

The Living Donor Program pays for appropriate testing ordered by the program. Please note that the recipient must be cleared financially and medically prior to proceeding with testing. Transportation costs and lost wages are not covered as a part of donation. However, the National Living Donor Assistance Center and the National Kidney Registry’s Donor Shield provides financial assistance for travel costs. Some people may be eligible for paid leave or disability through their employer. If you have questions about financial assistance, please contact the living donor phone line at 206.598.3627.

The results of three tests determine your level of match with your intended recipient:

Blood type
You must have a compatible blood type to donate directly to your intended recipient. If your blood types are not compatible, then donation is possible through the donor exchange program.

Crossmatch
A crossmatch combines the recipient’s blood cells and the donor’s blood cells to check for interaction. No interaction, or a negative crossmatch, is needed for transplant. If there is an interaction, or a positive crossmatch, then donation is possible through donor exchange. If there is a negative crossmatch, the evaluation process continues with tissue typing to determine antigen matching.

Tissue typing
This is a blood test that determines whether your tissue is compatible with your intended recipient. Because of advances in medicine, tissue matching is not as important as it was previously, so people who are not matched for any antigens may still donate with very successful outcomes for the recipient. Please note that results from these tests can take up to 10 to 14 business days to be received.

If you are not a match with your intended recipient, you may consider participating in our donor exchange program. In this program, the donor gives their kidney to someone else who is a better match, and in return, their intended recipient receives a kidney from another donor. This way, both patients get the kidney they need, even if the original donor and recipient were not compatible. We participate in the National Kidney Registry for donor exchange. For more information on donor exchange, visit kidneyregistry.org.

Initial testing can be done outside of the Seattle area. You will need to be seen at University of Washington Medical Center for one full day of testing in order to be approved as a donor. You will also need to return to the Seattle area for surgery and recovery.

Alternatively, if you live in a different state and do not wish to donate here, we can try and match you with a local center to facilitate local work up. If approved, we will coordinate with your center to have your kidney shipped to your intended recipient who will have surgery the same day. Shipping the kidney should not cause any decrease in success of the transplant.

Lastly, you can live in a different country. You must be able to travel on your own to Seattle for both work up and, if approved, an additional minimum of 2 weeks for surgery and recovery.

The length of your stay in the hospital typically varies between two and four days and will depend on the rate of your recovery and/or complications after surgery. You will meet with the living donor team approximately nine to twelve days after surgery for a post-operative appointment. Typically, you should be able to return to work within four to six weeks, but you may require longer depending on your job duties and personal recovery. If there are no complications from the surgery, you should be able to return to your normal level of activity within two to three months.

It depends upon a number of factors, including what disease the recipient has, the anti-rejection medication being prescribed and the compliance of the recipient. The average is between 10 and 15 years.

If you do not have a specific transplant recipient, you can become a non-directed donor and donate anonymously to someone waiting for a transplant at UW Medical Center, at Seattle Children’s Hospital or through the donor exchange program.