To wonder why there aren't more paired kidney donations?

[HavelockVetinari]

A lot of people are waiting for a kidney, but their nearest and dearest aren't a compatible match. Surely most people have someone who would donate for them, who could be matched to another donor/recipient who match up? I understand these arrangements are incredibly rare, but I'm not really sure why. Is there no organisation that facilitates it?

N.B. this isn't a goady thread, I understand donation carries serious risks, and of course no-one should ever be pressured into donating or do so against their better judgement.

there is a scheme to do it in the uk.

www.organdonation.nhs.uk/get-involved/news/uk-s-living-kidney-sharing-scheme-to-hit-1000th-transplants-milestone-this-week/

So sign yourself up to donate one of yours as surely since 'most' people as you say have someone who can undertake life-threatening surgery and risk themselves becoming ill and needing a kidney themselves one day, you will be doing such a great service to those non 'most' people who just don't have someone willing and able to risk their lives giving an organ to a stranger .

I'd volunteer to save the life of someone I love, because the risks would be outweighed by the positives. There's no way I'd risk surgery and complications for a stranger. I can't be that rare in that view.

I've got an aunt (lives in USA). She's getting stem cell donation (hopefully, if her next round of chemo goes well). not from one of her 2 eligible-age living siblings or us 12 niece/nephews nor her 2 children -- coz none of us match well enough. But yes... from a teenage stranger in Poland. We have no known Polish heritage, btw!

I think maybe it's extremely hard to get a good enough match, never mind the chances of 2 pairs of willing people who could happen to be able to help each other.

Charities like the Anthony Nolan Fund do this. I was at the 3rd level of testing for a bone marrow donation with someone in Germany 20 odd years ago - wasn't a match and I don't know if they ever managed to find one for them.

Donating stem cells is very different from kidney donation. In fact, there is no surgery involved for the donor and the donor's long-term bone marrow function is not affected. It is not the same as donating an organ.

Giving up a kidney is not to be done lightly. Plus I should think it's not a given that any of your relatives would be a match, and it's not as simple as yes it matches let's whip it out of you and shove it in to them. It isn't as simple as "well you've got two so you can spare one..."

I know plenty of people will say they would give up a kidney for their nearest and dearest in theory, but if they found themselves in that situation I bet most of those people wouldn't do it - let alone for a stranger.

I wouldn't do it for anyone , except perhaps my daughter and even then I'd think twice. I'd be surprised if I know anyone who would willingly donate to anyone to be honest.

I've had a kidney transplant. It's major surgery. It's not, generally, the type of thing that someone will undergo if they don't really care for the person they are giving the surgery too... and most workplaces don't have great sickness policies for that type of surgery.

I was quite young and got a decent amount of media coverage; and a lot of offers to donate from school families etc. In the end, of about 180 people who were possible donors, 32 visited the hospital to find out more and 5 were tested to see if they were a match.

I would donate a kidney absolutely no questions askes to any of my loved ones in theory. But I only have one functioning and slowly dying one left. Ive been eyeing up my sister's spare one though and tell her (joking) all yhe time stop abusing my kidney when she gets pissed. We joke about this sinoly becausr it was likely that I will need a transplant at some point in the future. Without even being asked she went to havr compatability checks witha very positive outcome. People who danate organs are amazing human beings and if I had the ability I woild donate a healthy one of mine to a loved one who needed.

*@FruitcakeOfHate
Donating bone marrow does require surgery inc a GA. The bone marrow is drawn from the pelvis and I'm told can be a painful recovery. However that's not the point - the point is there are organisations out there who try and match non related donors to those who need a transplant. Of which the Anthony Nolan Fund is one.

I believe the op is saying that people who are willing to donate to a loved one, but don't match, could find someone else who is willing to donate to their loved one but also isn't a match, but helpfully both match eachothers loved ones so they donate for eachother, thus both people get a kidney from a stranger but the strangers loved ones both get a kidney. Makes perfect sense to me. I wouldn't give my kidney to a stranger, but I would if it meant my loved one getting their kidney

I know someone who needs a kidney. I don’t feel like I could offer her one (even if I was a match).

DH has health problems and I’m not in a position to leave him caring for DC alone. I’d also be scared if it left me with any issues.

Surely most people have someone who would donate for them, who could be matched to another donor/recipient who match up?

Er, no, I don’t. And if push ever comes to shove, you might find you don’t either.

Erm No. OP. Donation is a gift, not a public sharing scheme.

But then I think 'Opt out' is wrong as consent should never be presumed and it's nothing but a way of saving the NHS money caring for long term folks on the donor wait list. The NHS should be funding more research and trials in to artificial organs and stemcell grown organs.

Donating bone marrow does require surgery inc a GA.

It's in no way comparable to donating an organ, though, because it does not compromise the bone marrow's function, you're not left with say, only one half a bone marrow. You can do it more than once. I have donated. I didn't need GA. No scar. The cells were harvested through the blood stream. Some transplants are also from cord blood donations.

My child had her stem cells harvested in theatre, as rescue treatment for cancer, that was done in theatre but she was also too young to sit still and the procedure different from that of a healthy adult donor giving stem cells for purposes of allogenic stem cell transplant.

It was a distinct possibility that dsis would need a kidney transplant. I loved my sister - which she was in absolutely no doubt about. But I wouldn’t have donated a kidney because if my children had needed one I would have resented my sister. She knew this, and was on board with it - but then my children were very important to her.

Given we had different blood groups I rather suspect my kidney would have only been useful as a paired transplant. So, OP, I would have been the non-donator.

I should add, dsis had 2 liver transplants, and died on the waiting list for a third. So our family was only too aware that transplants happen to you, not someone else in a newspaper article.

And thank you to any person on the transplant register.

I wouldn't say most people have a person who could donate in theory. I don't. I have no close relatives in good health, other than my children who are all under 18. And I don't think I could accept a kidney from my child ( or for them to donate one to swap). Bone marrow, possibly, but not an organ.

Harvesting stem cells for purposes of autologous stem cell transplant (such as is done as rescue treatment for certain forms of cancer or as backup for other forms of cancer, usually blood cancer) is a different procedure than harvesting stem cells from a healthy adult to perform allogenic stem cell transplant in a recipient. So please don't be put off signing up to be a stem cell donor, folk

Bone marrow donation is vastly different to organ donation. Living donors are actually undertaking potentially life-altering surgery and the recovery period is long, and can often bring about health implications of its own. Added to which living donors can and do die during the process of donation.

Where a person is willing to donate to a known recipient and is not a complete match paired donation is considered in order that two living donors would still donate, but the recipients would be swapped, but essentially you’re still donating to a relative/friend because they get a donation as a result of your being willing to donate.

However, that is very different from thinking that everyone should have someone who is a match for them, as not everyone can or would want to donate a kidney to a loved one. I would do it for my child but not for a stranger.

That being said, there are people who do donate altruistically but that is a very personal choice.

Organ donation is a gift and should never be a presumption. I don’t agree with opt out either and I speak as someone who will need a heart transplant

There are organ donation chains. They primarily consist of a group of say for example 10 patients who all need an organ whose family or friend are not a match but they match another patient. This in turn means that a family/friend of that organ will donate to another stranger and so on hoping to get a complete circle chain. It does happen.

There are also altruistic donors. These are rarer though. As people have shown in here not a lot of people want to give up an organ unless it is for a loved one.

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/10/one-day-six-operations-three-kidneys-organ-donor-chain-brought-together

OP, you may find this article about an actual donor circle interesting.

I would donate for my children in a heartbeat. I wouldn't need asking. Anyone else though and I would likely say no.

I hope that's a tongue in cheek comment candy

Donating a kidney is a very big undertaking. I would do it without question if I was a match for my daughter or granddaughter,or even my best friend. But for a total stranger? I don't think so. In my defence,I wouldn't expect a stranger to give ME a kidney.