Frequently Asked Questions

You may be able to get help with travel, lodging, and lost wages from the following assistance programs:

The transplant social worker can help you apply. 

Please note that it is illegal to receive money in return for organ donation.

Yes. You can be an anonymous (or non-directed) donor and give a kidney to someone on the transplant waiting list. In some cases, your donation can start a kidney exchange chain and help several people.

For a transplant to work, the donor and the recipient need to have the same blood group and be medically compatible. Special blood tests check this. If you are not compatible, you can still donate through a kidney exchange program. 

UC Davis Health participates in a nationwide exchange program called the National Kidney Registry. If you choose to move forward with an exchange, your transplant team will register you with this program after you have been cleared to donate. 

Through a kidney exchange:

• Your recipient gets a matching kidney from another living donor
• The wait may be a few months but is significantly shorter than waiting for a kidney from someone who has passed away 

If your recipient is listed at UC Davis Health but you are unable to travel here for your evaluation, you may be able to complete your evaluation at a transplant center near you that participates in the National Kidney Registry (NKR). You can use this link to locate a participating transplant center close to you.

The external transplant center would complete your donor evaluation according to their process. Once you are cleared to donate, you will have surgery there. Your kidney is then safely sent to UC Davis Health for your recipient.

You may appeal your decision or apply at a different transplant center. You can also still help by:

• Supporting your recipient in finding another living donor. You can advocate for them and help share their story.
• Raising awareness about living kidney donation in your community. Having gone through the living donor evaluation process, you have valuable knowledge to share.