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Find A Kidney Blog

In the Find A Kidney Blog, you’ll find both education and inspiration in your search for a living kidney donor, including tips from experts who have conducted a successful search and personal stories from people who have been in your situation and were able to find a living donor for a kidney transplant.

My Child’s Kidney Transplant Story: Greer Viau

Donna Viau

In 2021, at his annual physical, our then-23-year-old son’s lab work came back with too much protein in his urine. He was referred to a nephrologist and had a biopsy. We were shocked to learn he had Stage 3 chronic kidney disease, with a GFR (glomerular filtration rate, a measure of kidney function) of 58.


Exercising with Kidney Disease

Wilson Du, Dialysis Outreach Specialist

Exercise is a key part of staying healthy, but for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), staying active can offer even more critical benefits. Engaging in regular physical activity can help control blood pressure, improve cardiovascular health, and maintain a healthy weight, which helps manage CKD and its associated conditions, like diabetes and hypertension.​ Being …



Should You Start Looking for a Living Kidney Donor Before You Need a Kidney Transplant?

Jon Sullenberger, Vice President of Donor & Patient Advocacy

If you’ve been diagnosed with a type of chronic kidney disease (CKD), including polycystic kidney disease (PKD), diabetic kidney disease, or hypertensive nephropathy, you may feel like you’re always waiting—waiting for symptoms to get worse, for your kidney function to decline, for the day when you finally need a transplant. That day may still be …


What is Living Kidney Donation?

EJ Tamez, Director, Patient Coaching

If you’re in kidney failure, finding a living donor could be your best chance at getting a transplant sooner—and with better long-term results. However, many potential donors don’t even know that living kidney donation is possible. Here’s what you need to know so you can help others understand what living kidney donation is, how it …


My Kidney Transplant Story: Prince LaCarlous Jackson

Prince LaCarlous Jackson

On February 3, 2022, I was diagnosed with kidney failure. My life was turned upside down. I began dialysis treatments three days a week, each session lasting four long hours in a chair. At the time, I was living in Memphis, Tennessee, and the emotional and physical toll was unlike anything I had ever experienced.


What Role Does De Novo DSA Play in Kidney Transplants?

Matt Ronin, Vice President, Data Analytics

If you are considering or planning to have a kidney transplant, you probably know that a successful transplant depends on receiving a kidney that is a good “match” for you. What you may not know is the role de novo DSA plays in determining the risk of rejection of the donated kidney. What Is DSA?


My Child’s Kidney Transplant Story: Oliver Mayer

Tammy Mayer

Oliver was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease when he was eight years old. His kidneys never really grew; the doctors don’t know why. We are an adoptive family, and we don’t have any information about the birth family. He didn’t really have any symptoms, but he had short stature, and when they started to investigate …