How living donors can help reduce the gap in organ transplantation
More than 94,000 people nationwide are waiting for a kidney transplant, yet only a fraction receive one each year. Living kidney donation can help more patients get the lifesaving care they need sooner.
As part of our KSAT Community partnership, University Health is highlighting the growing need for living kidney donors and the life-changing impact they can have on patients waiting for a kidney transplant.
In this feature, transplant surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Thomas discusses the widening gap between the number of people who need a kidney and the number of available organs, while addressing common misconceptions about living donation and explaining how healthy individuals can help save lives.
“There are not enough organs for all the people who need them,” said Dr. Elizabeth Thomas, transplant surgeon and director of the Living Kidney Donor Program at University Health Transplant Institute. “The most important thing for people to know is that you just have to be healthy and interested. You don’t have to be perfect.”
Read More about the benefits of living kidney donation and how donors help patients receive transplants sooner, or watch our Donate Life Month feature with Dr. Thomas from this KSAT Community Medical Minute segment.
