Today, over 100,000 Americans are waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant. There is a critical need for kidney donation, and kidneys have a unique advantage – they can be transplanted from a living donor. Most individuals are born with two kidneys, and because many can live a long and healthy life with just one, this opens the door to living donation.
While non-living donors are the mainstay for the majority of organ transplants, The Erma Bombeck Project’s goal is to also raise awareness and increase the number of living donors. We provide facts and reliable resources to help individuals save a life—whether by registering to be a non-living organ donor, or considering the gift of life through a living donation.
Save a life. It’s in you.
Learn More About Living Kidney Donation
Main Risk Factors:
- Diabetes (self or family)
- High blood pressure (self or family)
- Cardiovascular disease (self or family)
- Family history of kidney disease or diabetes or high blood pressure
Additional Risk Factors Include:
- African American heritage
- Native American heritage
- Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander heritage
- Age 60 or older
- Obesity
- Prolonged use of over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen and naproxen
- Lupus, other autoimmune disorders
- Chronic urinary tract infections
- Kidney stones
- Low birth weight
Learn more about at-risk groups: