UVA Health leading the charge to find living kidney donors

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Traditionally, organ donations come after someone dies, but living donors can save the life of a stranger in need.

Living kidney donor Christopher Rucker knows what it’s like to give of himself to someone else.

“There is a friend of mine who put out an SOS on Facebook, saying her son needed a kidney. I thought I was O positive, I bet I could match up. Let’s see, I’m fairly healthy,” said Rucker.

He was a perfect match, but first, he needed one question answered about the risk of kidney problems with one kidney. He found out the risks were very minuscule.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Rucker said.

“A kidney transplant can help someone live two or three times longer than being on dialysis alone, as well as giving them a better quality of life,” Pelletier said. “So someone like Chris who comes forward to donate a kidney is giving a future life to somebody,” said UVA Transplant Doctor Shawn Pelletier.

To make sure the transplant process is seamless, doctors conduct health screenings, provide additional information about the procedure, and more.

“They’re seen from all different perspectives from a nursing coordinator, a nephrologist or hepatologist, a medical doctor, a surgeon, nutrition, finance, social work that all different parts of their life, that we can ensure that we would be doing this as safely as possible,” Pelletier said.

If you would like more information on living organ donations, click here.

Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.