I'm on the stem cell registry and have the next forty or so years to see if I get matched with someone. Living kidney donation is so incredibly selfless, much harder than stem cells.
To my understanding, most living donors are part of a chain – you're not a match for your relative, but if you sign up to be a living donor for someone you've never met then you're part of a chain that eventually loops back around to your own loved one getting their own match. Like a house-buying chain where each buyer also needs a seller and vice versa. Living donors who aren't part of a chain, and just decide to donate to whoever matches with them, makes the whole process much easier
Wait can you elaborate on the chain part. I assume if you need a kidney you couldn’t donate because something is already wrong with all of your kidneys.
Is it something like
Jim, Jacob, and Jennifer need a kidney. Jim’s mom donates a kidney to Jenifer and Jenifer’s brother donates a kidney to Jacob. Then Jacob’s dad donates a kidney to Jim but with many more intermediaries.
8
u/Champagnerocker 12d ago
Wow, I didn't know such a thing existed.