How You Can Help

When someone you care about has kidney disease, you don’t always know how to help. One way is to learn more about the kidney patient’s transplant options. Below are some specific actions you can take.

Learn all you can about transplants. Talk to healthcare providers with the patient, read all you can about transplants, and see if you can talk to kidney recipients about their transplant experiences.

Talk to the patient about why he or she might pursue transplant.

Help the patient complete transplant evaluation and get on the waiting list for a deceased kidney. You can help the patient call the transplant center, provide support and ask questions at the transplant center, and help the patient complete medical testing to be listed for deceased donor transplant.

Help the patient look for a living donor. Talk to the patient about his or her concerns about having a living donor transplant, help get the word out and help someone that offers to be evaluated as a living donor call the transplant center.

Consider being a living donor yourself. Learn all you can about being a living donor, talk to living donors about their experiences, and make the decision about being a donor that is right for you. If you are interested, call the transplant center to schedule blood tests to see if you are a possible match.