Give the gift of life by becoming a living kidney donor
Donating a kidney to a friend, family member or other person is a big decision. We strive to provide an excellent donor experience and personalized care to all donors. The dedicated living donor team at Baylor Scott & White Health is available to answer all your questions and guide you through the process.
To learn more about the process for living kidney donor recipients and donors:
Am I eligible to be a living kidney donor?
To be considered for a living kidney donation, you must first meet certain basic criteria:
- Healthy individual between the ages of 18 and 65, with two normal kidneys (Donors older than 65 are considered on a case-by-case basis)
- Blood type compatible with the recipient
It is important to note that the kidney donor and recipient do not need to be the same race or gender or be related. A potential donor can be a close friend, co-worker, spouse or someone who does not know the recipient.
A complete physical evaluation will be required to determine the full scope of the potential donor’s health and compatibility with the recipient. The cost of that evaluation is not the responsibility of the potential living donor kidney donor.
How to start the living kidney donor process
Outreach locations
For people who do not live near Dallas-Fort Worth or the Temple region, we bring our experience to them.
Teams of physicians, nurses and assistants travel to outreach clinics throughout Texas to deliver world-renowned transplantation medicine to an expanding network of communities. Both initial organ transplant evaluation and post-transplant follow-up appointments are available.
Temple
Based at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple in Central Texas, our organ transplant teams focus on providing personalized care in a supportive, collaborative environment. Our patient-focused approach makes you part of the team as we work together to help you live a longer, healthier life. Services include blood stem cell transplant, corneal transplant, heart transplant and kidney and pancreas transplant.
Dallas
In North Texas, Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas and Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth make up one the busiest multi-specialty organ transplant systems in the world—the Baylor Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute.
Fort Worth
In North Texas, Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth make up one the busiest multi-specialty organ transplant systems in the world—the Baylor Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute.
Contact us
Dallas: 214.820.GIFT (214.820.4438) | Fort Worth: 817.922.2990 | Temple: 254.724.8912
What if I'm not compatible with my kidney recipient?
Approximately one-third of all interested living kidney donors have an incompatible blood type with their intended recipient. Paired kidney transplantation allows living donor/recipient pairs to still donate and receive kidney transplants.
Frequently asked questions about living donor kidney transplants
Mike Gilbert: A new kidney from my brother. A new life from Baylor.
Real Patients. Real Stories.
Mike and Marc Gilbert discovered a special advantage to being identical twins when Mike's kidney disease forced him into dialysis. "I didn't want to live like that," says Mike. Fortunately, he had another option: transplant surgery. Since Marc was both eager to help and a perfect match, Mike didn't have wait to find a suitable donor. Not long after a successful transplant procedure at Baylor Scott & White Health, their lives were back to normal, with one difference. "We're even closer than we were before.”