DONOR | Harold's Story

Harold Cooper

LIVING Kidney DONOR NEEDED

Hello, My name is Harold Cooper.I am a retired Fire Captain from the Winston-Salem Fire Department in North Carolina. I love to fish, travel with my wife and family, and watching my grandchildren grow into young men. I was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2010.

To live I have to complete dialysis three times a week for at least four hours per session. This leaves me tired, weak, and reduces the free time I have to spend with my family. I am no longer able to go bowling or lifting weights which is something I love to do to keep my body in shape.

Many people do not know high blood pressure and doctors not being able to control it with medication can lead to kidney failure. I am sharing my story to bring awareness and hopefully find a living kidney donor.

START YOUR JOURNEY

Become Harold Cooper's Donor

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

Becoming a Kidney DONOR Find a Transplant Center near you

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Bowman Gray Campus, 1 Medical Center Blvd, Winston Salem, NC, 27157

(336) 713-5685 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.

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