What is living organ donation?
A living organ donation occurs when a person who is alive donates an organ, such as a liver or a kidney, so that it can be transplanted into someone who needs it. For the recipient, there are many benefits to living donation, including a shorter wait for an organ and fewer complications and procedures (including the need for dialysis for a kidney recipient). Once they are transplanted, organs from living donors often last longer than those from deceased donors.
What happens after you die? (deceased organ donation)
In the event of your death, your organs, blood type, and tissue type will be evaluated. The health and types will be compared to those of the recipient. The more they match, the greater the chance of a successful transplant outcome. So, if the match is strong enough, and with the consent of your next of kin, a surgical team will transplant the organs for which you have given permission.
Find out more or sign up below.
The problem
There’s a particular need for more people of African, Caribbean, and South Asian ethnicities to donate their organs in the event of their death. People from the same ethnic group are more likely to be a close match, and those with rare tissue types may only be able to accept an organ from someone of the same ethnic origin.
People from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities are more likely to develop health conditions that can lead to kidney failure. Due to the shortage of matching donors on the register, the average BAME person will wait much longer than the average white patient. During this wait, there is no guarantee of their survival.
Read more about how you can help.
ACLT can provide more information and guidance on the process of joining the register, start your organ donor journey today.
- Register your interest (below)
- Sign up to the NHS’s donation register
- Get your tissue type tested
- Take the physical and mental assessments
- Undergo the operation
- Recover
Whether you decide to become a living organ donor, or you wish to donate your organs when you die, please remember to discuss your decision with your family so they’re aware.
Not eligible to be a donor?
Don’t worry. There are lots of ways you can get involved with our lifesaving work such as donating blood, getting involved with fundraising or setting up a regular financial donation.
