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April is Donate Life Month, a time to raise awareness about the life-saving impact of organ, eye, and tissue donations. There are currently more than 2,000 Michigan residents waiting on a life-saving organ; with 85% of those awaiting a kidney transplant.
Trinity Health is home to West Michigan's first adult kidney transplant program, serving patients for over 50 years with 3,000 successful transplants. Jill Wagner, MSN, RN, and Transplant Services Liaison at Trinity Health, discusses the importance of organ donation, the life-changing impact of kidney transplants, and how you can help save lives.
A kidney transplant is a life-changing treatment for patients with kidney failure, with an average wait time of 3-5 years for a donor organ.
Most are familiar with the concept of donation after death, but kidney donors can be living, making transplants possible sooner. Donors don't need to be a biological match to donate either; paired exchanges and national donor programs expand opportunities.
Organ donation is not limited by location; Trinity Health is also the first in Michigan to participate in the National Kidney Registry, helping match donors and recipients nationwide
Living kidney donation is highly successful with low complication rates. Donors undergo extensive medical evaluations to ensure they are healthy enough to donate. Most donors return to normal activities in 3-4 weeks and can live a full, healthy life with one kidney.
If a living donor ever needs a transplant themselves, there are safeguards in place to prioritize them for a kidney.
Anyone interested in becoming a donor can visit TrinityHealthMichigan.org/KidneyTransplant.
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