Living Donor Transplantation

Share life! A kidney from a living donor usually offers better long-term success than a kidney from a deceased donor. Plus, the wait for a kidney from a deceased donor can take three to six years. Donating a kidney to someone in need today is a life-changing gift. 

Download Living Kidney Donation Guide

Find Your Match

Transplant patients who are eligible to receive an organ from a living donor are encouraged to reach out to family members, friends and their community to identify a potential donor. Patients receive the paperwork below at their education session. Willis Knighton is always here to support transplant patients and donors every step of the way. 

Interested donors can submit the information form and questionnaire online by clicking the link below:  

Living Donor Information Form and Questionnaire

Additional Forms

• Blood pressure record form
• Living donor specific rights

Who Can Be a Donor

• At least 18 years of age
• Generally healthy
• Any ethnicity, race or sex can be considered

After receiving the paperwork, the living donor coordinator contacts the potential donor to explain the next steps in the evaluation and matching process. The first step is blood work to check for compatibility between the donor and recipient. If the results come back as compatible, the evaluation can move forward.

As a potential donor, you’ll meet with a team of specialists, including a transplant surgeon, nephrologist, social worker, independent living donor advocate, dietitian, pharmacist and financial coordinator. To ensure an unbiased evaluation, the surgeon and nephrologist who assess the potential donor are not involved in the recipient’s evaluation.

After all evaluations are complete, the donor’s case is reviewed by the Transplant Selection Committee. If the committee agrees to move forward, the surgery can be scheduled.

We understand this process can feel overwhelming, and we’re always here to support you and your organ recipient every step of the way.

Altruistic Living Donation – Getting Started

You may have an interest in becoming an altruistic organ donor to any person who needs a kidney. Please complete the living donor paperwork and submit it to the living donor coordinator. 

318-212-8384
318-212-4552 (Fax)
2751 Albert Bicknell Drive, Suite 4A
Shreveport, LA 71103

Kidney Paired Donation

Some patients who need a kidney have a willing living donor who is medically able, but they’re not a match. Reasons for incompatibility:

• Blood type
• Crossmatch – Immune incompatibility between donors and recipients

  Donor-recipient pairs are matched with other pairs in kidney paired donation (KPD). This program matches a donor and recipient pair with another pair to overcome compatibility issues around blood type and other biological factors. The goal is to provide recipients with the lowest risk of rejecting a donor kidney. 

Donor Stories