Become a living organ donor
Make a lifesaving gift with living organ donation
Living organ donation is a precious gift. Becoming a living organ donor means you’re saving the life of the person who receives your organ. Your gift also extends to their family, friends, and community. And you benefit, too. Our donors tell us often that the emotional satisfaction of organ donation is life changing.
If you’re thinking of becoming a living donor, you’ll want a medical team you can trust. At Penn Medicine, our living donor transplant team is the most experienced in the region. We perform dozens of kidney and liver transplants each year with organs from living donors. Our specialized team focuses only on our living donors, to ensure you get the care you deserve through the donation process.
Register to become a donor
If you’re ready to take the first step toward living organ donation, please fill out the screening form to become a potential donor.
Living organ donor requirements
In general, living kidney donors must be between ages 20 and 70 and living liver donors must be between 21 and 50, and living uterus donors must be between 30 and 50. In addition, you must have:
- A compatible blood type for liver donation
- Caretakers to help you during your recovery from surgery
- Good physical fitness and overall health (history of cancer, diabetes, or other health conditions may be considered depending on donation type)
- Health insurance
We’re here for you at every stage
We understand that becoming an organ donor is a life-changing decision for you and your family. Our team has decades of experience guiding hundreds of living donors through this process. We value and honor your choice to donate and dedicate ourselves to making sure you get the best care possible.
At Penn Medicine you’ll find:
The Living Donor Program, part of Penn Medicine’s Center for Living Donation, is independent of the transplant team. While the transplant team cares for the person receiving your donated organ, we focus only on you, the donor.
Our priority is making sure you receive what you need, physically and emotionally. In addition to leading medical care during your donation journey and beyond, we also make sure your voice is heard, and your needs and decisions are respected.
The living donor team includes doctors, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, a living donor advocate, and support staff. We coordinate closely to provide each donor with personal attention and care.
We have outstanding patient outcomes, including a 100 percent patient survival rate one year after surgery. We attribute these results to our high volumes, experienced teams, and commitment to safety and quality.
Our partnership with the National Kidney Registry allows us to offer paired kidney exchange, where you and your recipient don’t have to be a match. For donors who don’t have a recipient identified, the National Kidney Registry helps us find the best possible matched recipient for you.
We provide continuous education throughout the organ donation process. You receive the information you need to be sure donation is right for you and to go into surgery confident and prepared.
Many potential donors want to talk to someone who’s already donated an organ to better understand the donor experience. Our nurse coordinators can connect you with a Penn Medicine donor mentor who can share their experience and help address any concerns you’re feeling. We also partner with the National Kidney Donation Organization to provide mentoring and education.
Patient stories
Living kidney donor shares her experience
Living kidney donor Joanie Shappell details her experience at the Penn Transplant Institute to help others considering living donation.
Kidney donation bonds two veterans forever
Air Force veteran Morgan Slaughter saw a post about another veteran in need. What followed was a selfless act that saved the life of a stranger.
A kidney for her mom, a marathon for herself
Jen Brady donated a kidney to her mother, before training for the Boston Marathon—embodying the well-being and caregiving support she champions.