A kidney transplant is surgery to take a healthy kidney from a donor and give it to a patient whose kidneys do not work. One type of kidney transplant is a living donation. This is where someone decides voluntarily to donate a kidney. Living donors do not need to be related to the recipient.
A living donor must:
- Be healthy enough to live with 1 kidney.
- Be 18 years or older. There is no upper age limit.
- Decide to donate voluntarily. You should not feel pressured to donate.
- Fully understand everything involved with donating and recovering from this major operation.
It is a very big decision to choose to be a living donor. We assess each person individually to make sure donating is safe for them. Information about required tests and the process for getting assessed can be found here.
If you are considering donating a kidney, we must receive the transplant recipient’s referral package before any donor work-up can begin.
St. Michael’s Hospital Living Donor Program prides itself on:
- Being one of the largest living donor transplant programs in Canada.
- Participation in national Kidney Paired Donation Program.
- An expert team of surgeons who can perform keyhole donor surgery for a faster recovery. Minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery allows for a shorter hospital stay, less pain and a quicker return to employment for living donors.
- Living donors have come from many countries around the world to donate their kidney.
- Innovative options, even if your donor isn’t an exact match. We are the only transplant centre in North America offering blood group (ABO) incompatible transplant with Glycosorb®. Patients can receive a kidney from their living kidney donor even if the blood type is incompatible, with success rates comparable to other living donation transplants. Glycosorb® immunoadsorption is a unique technology that avoids complications associated with older techniques.
Can I donate a kidney if I live outside of Canada?
If you are living outside of Canada, it is possible to donate to a family member living in Ontario. To be considered for living donation, the recipient who you intend to donate to must have been referred for transplant. Next, your medical and health information will need to be provided to the Living Donor Program. Please contact us for specific requirements. Some additional information about provincial supports from Ontario Health.
Note that if you need to apply for a visa to travel to Canada, you may not be eligible for a visitor visa. This decision is made by Citizenship and Immigration decides this, not the Hospital.
How can I learn more?
Below are some resources to help you prepare for living donation:
How can I contact the Living Donor Program?
The Living Donor Program can be reached at 416-867-3665 ext. 5 or [email protected] for questions or concerns.