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Get insights on living kidney donor transplants, including the donation and transplant process, what to expect, and answers to common questions. Read powerful stories from recipients about finding a donor and how their transplant changed their lives.

Transplant Stories

My Child’s Kidney Transplant Story: Aiden Hess

October 10, 2025

Back in 2009, when Aiden was four years old, he started showing symptoms of kidney issues. He was peeing blood—it was so red it looked like fruit punch. We took him to the pediatrician (not his regular pediatrician), and he dismissed it. He thought it was juice. Well, I don’t give my kids juice—that was blood. We took him back to his regular pediatrician, and he ordered a kidney ultrasound. Before we even walked out of the hospital, he told us we needed to see a pediatric nephrologist immediately. We eventually went to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia for a kidney…

Why You Should Create a Custom Microsite for Your Donor Search

October 3, 2025

When you are searching for a living kidney donor, one of the most powerful tools available to you is a personalized microsite to help tell your story and connect with potential donors. Here is why a custom microsite can make all the difference. What Is a Microsite? A microsite is a free, personalized website designed to help patients in need of a transplant find a living kidney donor. There are…

The National Kidney Registry Announces its Newest Microsite Center: UVA Health West Complex

October 8, 2025

The National Kidney Registry (NKR) is pleased to announce that UVA Health West Complex in Charlottesville, Virginia, has joined the NKR’s Microsite Program as the newest participating center. Over 60 transplant centers nationwide are now part of the NKR’s effort to help patients find living kidney donors through personalized outreach tools. The UVA Transplant Center has been performing kidney transplants for over 40 years. In 2015, it won the NKR…

A friendship formed over an old car that led to a selfless gift

September 16, 2025

Right now, there are more than 100-thousand Americans on the national transplant waiting list. One northwest Iowa man spent years on that list but now is on the road to recovery thanks to a friendship formed over an old car that led to a life-saving gift.