DONOR | Joy's Story

Joy Smith

LIVING Kidney DONOR NEEDED

My kidney disease started with high blood pressure that I did not know that I had. I went to the doctor for a pulled muscle in my back and found out that I have high blood pressure and late stage kidney disease.

I am not on dialysis yet, but I will be soon if I don’t get a transplant. Should I start dialysis, I will have to go to the dialysis center three times per week and spend over 10 hours receiving treatment.

A kidney transplant will help ensure that I am around my family.

START YOUR JOURNEY

Become Joy Smith's Donor

If you are considering being a living donor please use links below to contact Joy Smith's Transplant Center. Begin by completing the donor questionnaire

Becoming a Kidney DONOR Find a Transplant Center near you

Northwestern Medicine

251 E Huron, Chicago, IL, 60611

(312) 695-0828 Email Transplant Center

Did you know?

Medical expenses for living organ donors are 100% covered, and inquires from potential donors are 100% confidential! Contact the Transplant Center to learn more about living donation.

More Donor FAQs

Share the Importance of Living Donation

There are currently 120,000 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the U.S. Of these, 100,000 await kidney transplants.

The median wait time for a kidney transplant is 3-5 years and can vary depending on health, compatibility, and where you live.

In 2014, 17,107 kidney transplants took place in the U.S. Of these, 11,570 came from deceased donors and 5,537 came from living donors.

Every 14 minutes someone is added to the kidney transplant waitlist.

A kidney from a living donor lasts longer and begins functioning more quickly than a kidney from a deceased donor.

In 1995, kidney donation became minimally invasive with a procedure called laparoscopic nephrectomy, which only requires four small incisions. Hospital stay is typically only 3 days after this operation.

Not blood type compatible with your recipient to be a living donor? Kidney Paired Donation (the “kidney swap” program) enables incompatible candidates with a living donor to receive a kidney from a compatible donor.

Last year, over 700 living donor kidney transplants occurred using Kidney Paired Donation.