You don’t need to be a relative to donate. Many living donors are friends, co-workers, or even compassionate strangers. What’s most important is your willingness and overall health.
Donors must typically be:
Between 18–65 years old
In good physical and mental health
Free of major health conditions like diabetes, active cancer, or uncontrolled high blood pressure
Willing to go through medical evaluation and testing
If you want to donate to Marcus but aren’t a match, you can still help through a paired kidney exchange. This is a program that matches incompatible donor-recipient pairs with other pairs, allowing each recipient to receive a compatible kidney.
Most donors take about 2 to 6 weeks off work, depending on their recovery and the type of work they do. If your job is less physically demanding, you may return sooner.
Marcus’s insurance covers all costs related to donor testing, surgery, and follow-up care. Some programs also help reimburse travel costs or lost wages.
Yes. Many women have gone on to have healthy pregnancies after donating a kidney. Doctors will review your individual health and discuss this during the evaluation process.
At the University of Chicago, most donors have a Single Port Donor Nephrectomy, where the kidney is removed through a tiny incision inside the belly button. This means no visible scar, less pain, and faster recovery.
If a living kidney donor needs a transplant in the future, they are given priority on the national waiting list for a deceased donor kidney or can seek a living donor kidney through a program like the National Kidney Registry (NKR). While living donors are at a slightly increased risk of kidney failure compared to the general population, the chances of this happening are less than 1%. Following the donation, donors receive lifelong care and monitoring to maintain their health and ensure the remaining kidney functions well.
Once testing and evaluation are complete, the surgery can be scheduled as soon as both the donor and transplant team are ready. This could mean weeks or a few months instead of waiting 3–5 years for a deceased donor.
The first step is to see if you are eligible to donate by filling out the UChicago Living Donor Questionnaire. It's secure, confidential, and there's no commitment.
Want to learn more before completing the questionnaire? Visit UChicago's Living Donor Program page.