Living organ donation

Giving an organ to someone in need is an incredible gift. Our living donor transplant team at the Center for Living Donation is the most experienced in the region. We treat our donors like heroes, supporting every aspect of their care.

Living liver donor and recipient, mother daughter embrace by the bay

Living organ donors save lives

Many thousands of people are waiting for an organ transplant, and deceased donors don’t provide enough organs to meet the need. As a living donor, you not only give the gift of a healthy organ, but you also get to witness the result of your gift.

At the Center for Living Donation, living donors give organ recipients a better chance of a healthy life. Transplant outcomes are better with a living organ donation because:

  • Organs from living donors last up to twice as long as organs from deceased donors.
  • Recipients of living organ donation live longer than recipients of deceased organ donation.
  • Transplants from living donors result in fewer complications for recipients.

Living donor transplants we perform

The first thing you should know about being a donor is that living organ donation is safe. We’re recognized leaders in the living organ transplant field, and our program consistently meets and exceeds the national average in all organ transplants. Our team performs dozens of living organ transplants each year, including:

  • Living kidney transplant, which involves giving one of your kidneys. Most people are born with two, and you can live a healthy life with just one.
  • Living liver transplant, which involves giving part of your liver. You can recover fully from living liver donation because the donated section will grow back.
  • Living uterus transplant, which offers a groundbreaking pathway to parenthood for those with uterine factor infertility. Our program is one of the few in the world to successfully perform these life-changing surgeries from living donors, enabling recipients to carry and deliver healthy babies.

If you want to make a living organ donation for a loved one who may need a healthy kidney, liver, or uterus in the future, we’ll make sure your intended recipient receives your gift.

Clinical trials

Clinical trials offer patients the opportunity to try new and effective treatments and take part in future research.

Giving to the Transplant Institute

Your gift enables our researchers and clinicians to continue life-saving transplant programs.

Excellence in living organ donation expertise, care, and support

Our aim is to support you with the best care in every aspect of your organ donation journey—emotional, financial, and medical. We’re also here for you long after your organ donation.

At the Center for Living Donation, you can expect:

Adult son hugging his senior dad

Become a living organ donor

Living organ donation is a profound gift and a very personal decision. Our program has successfully taken hundreds of hero donors on this journey.

Father and daughter reach for each other in their hospital beds before living donor kidney transplant surgery

Organ donation surgery process

A dedicated, expert medical team is here for you through every step of the organ donation surgery process.

Senior doctor with beard holding clipboard, talking to male patient

Living donor FAQs

Our staff and past donors are here to answer all of your questions about being a living organ donor.

Panoramic shot of Penn Medicine's downtown campus

Locations

Our hospitals, multispecialty medical centers, pharmacies, labs and more offer outstanding, personalized care for patients all across the region.

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