DCI is dedicated to saving and improving lives through organ donation. We have the honor of serving donor heroes and their families by connecting their lifesaving gifts to those who need them most. Together, we are transforming lives, and our work will not be finished until access to healthy kidneys for transplant is a reality for all patients who need them.
Services
Transplant Services
The transplantation process has many steps. The actual procedure involves removing a normal functioning kidney from one individual, either from a living donor or someone who has died (deceased donor) and placing it into someone whose kidneys have failed. If the transplant is successful, the new kidney takes over and you no longer need dialysis. After transplant, you will need to take medications daily for as long as the transplanted kidney continues to work.
The transplant process starts with talking with your doctor and care team to see if transplantation is the best path for you. You would then be scheduled for tests that are needed to ensure that your body can handle the required surgery and that you are matched with a suitable donor. Kidneys can be donated by a living or deceased donor. If you receive a kidney from a living donor, there is less waiting time. If you don’t have a living donor, you will go on a national transplant list and wait to be matched with a suitable donor. DCI Social Workers in your dialysis clinic will help you as you navigate this process.
If you and your doctor have decided that transplant is a good option for you, you may know someone who is willing to donate a kidney. This person would also undergo a series of tests to determine if their body could handle the required surgery and to determine if they would be a compatible donor for you. Even if this person is not a compatible donor for you, you and they can be registered in a kidney exchange program that pairs your donor with a compatible recipient, while you are also paired with a compatible donor. More about the Kidney Paired Donation project can be found here.
Learn more about the process, benefits, and challenges associated with kidney transplant by downloading the Kidney Transplantation Education Handout below.