top of page
Explore Living Donation logo. Button to return home.

Planning for living organ donation

If you are exploring living organ donation, here are some additional considerations.

As I consider donating, what key questions could I ask?

Questions to ask your transplant center

  • What are the risks and benefits living liver donation for a recipient?

  • Can I get evaluated at more than one transplant center? 

  • What should I do if I feel pressured to donate?

  • After surgery, will I need a caregiver? If so, what will they need to do for me and how long will I need care?

  • What will recovery from surgery be like? How is my pain treated?

  • How soon after donation can I go back to work?

  • What financial resources are available to cover the non-medical costs of my donation?

Questions to ask about emotional health

It is a transplant center’s responsibility to make sure that potential donors:

  • Understand both the physical and possible emotional health effects of donating

  • Have support before, during, and after surgery

 

Here are some questions you can ask to understand how a transplant center will support you emotionally before and after surgery:

  • Focused Woman Writing

    • During evaluation, what questions or tests do you do
      around my mental health?

    • Could my mental health history or treatment prevent me from donating?

    • Who should I talk with if I am feeling worried
      or uncertain about donating?

    • What should I do if I change my mind about donating before surgery?

  • A friend places a hand of support onto another friend

    • What feelings are common for donors after donating an organ?

    • What mental health support do you offer donors after surgery?

    • What support do you offer donors if their recipient
      has problems after surgery?

    • What follow-up care do you recommend for my mental health?

  • Young woman rests on sofa a writes into a journal

    • How might donating affect my relationships with family or the recipient?

    • What mental health challenges do donors commonly feel when returning to work or normal life?

    • How can I prepare my family for the emotional aspects of donation?

  • Man standing on a terrace, thinking intently

    • If I decide not to donate, how is this information shared
      with the recipient?

    • How will you help me if I feel pressured by family or the recipient?

    • What happens if evaluation suggests I'm not ready to donate?

“I am considering donating a part of my liver more now than when I started this education.”
Yes
No
bottom of page