How can I Be a Kidney Donor?

Kevin Bradley RN Living Donor Coordinator

It can be a big decision when you choose to be a living donor and come forward for the testing.

This is why we assess each person individually to make sure donating is safe for you. In order to be considered safe, the potential donor must come forward voluntarily and be in good health. At St. Michael’s you must be at least 18 years old and we are happy to say that we no longer have an upper age limit for donors. We have had many donors come forward who are in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

We receive each case and assess their current and past health. Tests include blood work, chest x-ray, cardiac testing, kidney function tests, an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan.

The donor team consists of donor nurses, a social worker, transplant nephrologists and transplant surgeons. This team will ultimately help facilitate and guide you through the donor process and also see if it is safe for you to proceed.

We also accept donors who live out of province or in another country. If the donor resides in another province we help facilitate the bulk of tests by liaising with your family doctor and providing the protocol needed to assess your general health. This cuts down on the number of visits to make to Toronto.