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For Mindy's Donor:

Mindy's donor faQs

  • Mindy's kidney team is located at the Mayo Clinic of Arizona, in Scottsdale Arizona.  The Mayo team is considered one of the top organ transplant facilities in the world.  

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  • The organ transplant surgery for both Mindy and her donor will take place at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

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  • The donor is expected to go through a series of tests, generally paid for by Mindy's healthcare.

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  • The donor does not need to live in the state of Arizona to be considered, however, they must be willing to be in Arizona for testing, the transplant surgery, and part of their recovery (about 2 weeks for follow-up tests.)

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  • The donor will have their OWN kidney care and transplant team, aside from Mindy's. The team is dedicated to the donor, their health, safety, and successful surgery. Please note there are risks to the surgery, which the doctors will discuss at length with the potential donor.

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  • The donor will need to complete a series of tests to be considered as a donor.  At any point, including up to the minute of surgery, the donor can back out and opt NOT to have the surgery.

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  • Mindy is looking for a donor with O positive or O negative blood, however, there are now programs called donor match programs.  Please scroll down to view information on that process if you are not Mindy's blood type but still want to help her.

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  • You can call the Mayo Transplant Team at any time with questions.  Their number is: 480-342-1010

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  • You can remain anonymous from start to finish if you choose.  The care team does NOT reveal any information to the family at any time unless you give permission.  So, if you want to inquire about being a donor, but do not want us to be informed, you are welcome to do so. We do not have any information on donors who come forward, whether they are a match, or who call with inquiries.  The number to inquire is: 480-342-1010

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Donor Facts : from donatelife.org

Who Can Donate

Living donors should be in good overall physical and mental health and older than 18 years of age. Some medical conditions could prevent an individual from being a living donor. Since some donor health conditions could harm a transplant recipient, it is important that living donor candidates share all information about their physical and mental health. It is important to be fully informed of the known risks involved with donating and complete a full medical and psychosocial evaluation. The decision to donate should be completely voluntary and free of pressure or guilt, and donors can delay or stop the process at any time.

Paired Kidney Exchange

According to UNOS, kidney paired donation (KPD), also called kidney exchange, occurs when a transplant candidate has someone who wants to donate a kidney to them, but tests reveal that the kidney would not be a good medical match. Kidney paired donation gives that transplant candidate another option: swapping living donor kidneys so each recipient receives a compatible transplant.

This type of exchange often involves multiple living kidney donor/transplant candidate pairs.

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The Mayo Clinic of Arizona participates in this program.  So, if you are not a direct match for Mindy, you can ultimately donate your kidney to another person waiting, and they use this list to help find her a match in the same situation.  Contact us with questions.

Quick Donor Facts:

Want to learn more about living donation? Here are some key facts:

  • Living donation is an opportunity to save a life while you are still alive.

  • Living organ donation and transplantation was developed as a direct result of the critical shortage of deceased donors. 

  • Living donors don’t have to be related to their recipients. On average, 1 in 4 living donors are not biologically related to the recipient.

  • Patients who receive a living donor transplant are removed from the national transplant waiting list, making the gift of a deceased donor kidney or liver available for someone else in need.

Risks of Kidney Donation

Living donation is a major surgery, and all potential complications of major surgery apply. These complications may include:

  • pain

  • infection at the incision site

  • incisional hernia

  • pneumonia

  • blood clots

  • hemorrhaging

  • potential need for blood transfusions

  • side effects associated with allergic reactions to the anesthesia

  • death

According to the National Kidney Foundation, living donors in studies report a boost in self-esteem, and 9 out of 10 say they would do it again. However, living donors may also experience negative psychological symptoms right after donation or later. The transplanted organ may not work right away. There is also the chance it will not work at all. Donors may feel sad, anxious, angry, or resentful after surgery. Donation may change the relationship between donor and recipient.

The best source of information about risks and expected donor outcomes is the transplant team. In addition, it is important to take an active role in learning more about these potential surgical risks and long-term complications.

Living donors must be made aware of the physical and psychological risks involved before they consent to donate an organ. Please discuss all feelings, questions and concerns with a transplant professional and/or social worker.

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CONTACT

480-487-9495

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© 2021 By Mindy's Family in partnership with the MinMinBear Foundation

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