Live Kidney Donation Aotearoa

If you don’t receive an offer, you could talk about donation with your family or friends.

If you find it hard to talk to your family and friends, there are a number of things you can do:

• Some transplant co-ordinators might be able to come and talk to your family at home. Not all transplant co-ordinators do this so ask your co- ordinator if they are able to do this.  ese family meetings can be a really good way to introduce your family and friends to live kidney donation. It’s often easier to hear general information about live kidney donation from someone outside the family, and it often means that your family and friends are more comfortable to ask questions.
• Take family members to your next appointment with your kidney doctor and ask your doctor to explain why you need a new kidney and how live kidney donation works.
• Talk to your local Kidney Society or Kidney Health New Zealand about different ways you can ask people to become your donor.

You could say something like this:

I’ve been looking into live kidney donation as a treatment for my kidney disease. Have you heard about this? What it means is that a healthy person donates one of their kidneys to someone like me. My doctor says it’s really safe and people only need one kidney to live a perfectly healthy life. Apparently, it’s the best treatment for someone like me. What do you think? Would it be OK to come tomy next appointment and talk to my doctor about this?