Have you considered being a living organ donor?

What do the kidney and liver have in common? Both organs can be donated from a living person.

About 6,500 living organ donations take place each year, according to the Health Resources & Services Administration.

“Renal failure is such a common problem that the need for transplantable organs outpaces their availability,” says Dr. Daniel O’Brien, a general surgeon who performs kidney transplants at Advocate Health Care. “This is why living donors are essential in the treatment of kidney disease.”

For most people, a single kidney is sufficient to support the body’s renal function. Since most of us are born with two kidneys, it is possible to donate one and continue to live a healthy life. Following a donation, the donor’s remaining kidney ably assumes the work of the donated kidney and filters the body’s entire blood volume. When someone wants to donate a kidney but is not compatible with the desired recipient, there are organizations that can help. These programs orchestrate kidney exchanges to allow donors and recipients to swap organs with other mismatched pairs.

Liver donation is more complex and less common than kidney donation.

“The liver differs from the kidney in that you only have one,” Dr. O’Brien explains. “Since it’s a vital organ, the liver cannot be removed in whole.”

A living donor can donate up to two-thirds of their liver in their lifetime.

“The living donor’s remaining liver rapidly re-grows to replace the section that was removed for transplant. Likewise, the donated portion of liver will regenerate within the organ recipient during the first few weeks following the transplant,” Dr. O’Brien says.

There are many factors to consider with living organ donation and a variety of tests that are required before a match is determined.

Are you trying to find a doctor? Find one in Illinois or Wisconsin.