Donating A Kidney In Advance Holds Potential To Save Multiple Lives.
Here’s an unprecedented concept that encourages more people to become living kidney donors. It’s called the Advanced Donation Program. It was developed to allow healthy individuals to consider donating a kidney in advance of when a friend or family member might need one. In other words, a potential living kidney donor could donate a kidney at a time that is more optimal for their schedule or candidacy, while still protecting the future needs of their intended recipient.
The New York Times described this concept akin to a gift certificate, layaway plan or voucher program. Call it what you want. The most exciting thing about this innovative program, initiated by Dr. Jeffery Veale, a transplant surgeon at Ronald Reagan’s UCLA’s Medical Center, is that it has the potential to help more than one person, in between a pause in time.
This revolutionary concept was suggested by Howard Broadman, a 64-year-old attorney and retired judge who lives in Laguna Niguel, California. Broadman approached UCLA with the desire of donating a kidney to a stranger now so he could provide his grandson some assurances for when he would need one in the future. And that’s exactly what he did.
Broadman’s donation essentially gives his grandson “earned protection credit” and priority towards his future donor needs. This, notwithstanding the potential to help two or more people in other time-lapsed paired exchanges.
Donating a kidney in advance can also come into play when a major anticipated life event — such as vacations, employment restrictions or family matters could potentially restrict donors from moving forward. I personally experienced this when a friend was ready to donate before I my renal function reached transplant eligibility. By the time I was ready, my friend had an employment change and was no longer able to donate. In this program he could have helped a stranger altruistically when he was most eager to do so, while still protecting my future needs.
Program Overview:
The National Kidney Registry’s Advanced Donation Program (ADP) is a paired exchange separated in time. This program allows medically and psychosocially acceptable donors to donate their kidney before their intended recipient needs a kidney. The timing of this program helps someone in need today while also protecting their intended recipient, by advancing them to transplant at their time of need. Some ADP donors have donated only a few weeks before their intended recipient was transplanted. Other ADP donors may be donating 10 plus years before their intended recipient needs a transplant; and some donate in the hope that their intended recipient will never need a transplant (or another transplant). It should be noted that there are no written guarantees. This stands to reason, as guarantees cannot apply in situations that would be beyond the control of such a guarantee—(i.e.; recipient health, challenging antibody levels and transplant candidacy).
Ultimately, when the intended recipient redeems his or her gift certificate, the last donor in a current chain would donate their kidney to them.
Nine other transplant centers across the U.S. have agreed to offer the gift certificate program, under the umbrella of the National Kidney Registry’s advanced donation program. These centers currently include: UCLA, Emory, New York Presbyterian, UCSF, University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin, Cleveland Clinic, University of Chicago, Allegheny General, Sharp Memorial and Virginia Transplant Center.
- 30 million people with chronic kidney disease in the U.S., – strong candidates for the innovative new program.
- 500,000 people in the U.S. with a functioning kidney transplant, but the transplants typically last for just 10 to 20 years. They are also strong candidates for this program should a second transplant is needed.
The TransplantFirst Academy hopes the program will eventually go a step further by addressing the needs of people who fear if they help someone today, they might not be able to help a spouse or a child in the future. The design of this program provides some assurances and “peace of mind” surrounding those unknowns. Ultimately, the hope is that Advanced Donation will encourage more altruistic donors to step forward, which will trigger more chains and save more lives.