Give Hope. Give Life.

Your application to our Living Donor Program is more than paperwork. It's a turning point in your story, the first step toward saving a life. It's also our donor team’s window into your medical history and the first step toward determining your eligibility.

Before we move your application forward, our team will review your application to make sure you meet the following transplant donor qualifications:

• Willingness to donate
• 18 years or older
• Good physical health (free of diabetes, heart disease, cancer or other chronic conditions)

As we review your application, our goal is to make sure you don’t have any conditions that could put you at risk for surgical or long-term complications.

Lab and Diagnostic Testing

If the compatibility tests determine that you and your recipient are a good match, we'll ask you to come in for a medical evaluation. Our donor team will guide you and your caregivers through the following tests in the comfort of our state-of-the-art Orlando facility:

• Twenty-four-hour urine testing
• Blood tests
• Chest X-ray
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)

Meeting Your Living Donor Team

We believe that the more you know about the living donor process, the more positive your donor experience will be. That’s why our team is here to teach you, guide you, empower you. Our patients and their caregivers often say their transplant team becomes like a second family. So it’s only natural that the first step is getting to know each specialist on your donor transplant team. And even though these are one-on-one meetings, your dedicated health team stays closely connected throughout your evaluation process through close communication and innovative technology.

• Your Social Worker is here to support you and make sure you’re mentally and emotionally prepared for the journey ahead. They'll discuss your decision to donate and connect you with any resources you may need.
• Your Living Donor Advocate will walk you through what to expect throughout the process, from medical testing to life after living donation.
• Your Donor Nephrologist and Donor Surgeon will evaluate you separately to make sure you’re a good candidate for donor surgery.

Patient Review Committee

Once you've gotten to know everyone on your transplant team and your test results have been processed, our donor team will review your case from beginning to end. If the team is confident that you're a good candidate for kidney donation, your surgery can be scheduled.

Multiple Listings

You're taking charge of your health, and that means you have every right to be evaluated by different transplant centers. Just let us know if you've already been evaluated by another center so we can avoid duplicate testing and move your evaluation along faster. Our team can help obtain these records. Remember that each center evaluates and accepts patients based on their own criteria, and being listed at one center doesn't guarantee that every center will accept you.

AdventHealth Transplant Institute is the first and only hospital in the state of Florida to perform laparoscopic kidney removal, also known as donor nephrectomy. Our world-renowned surgeons perform this state-of-the-art procedure by making a single two-inch incision through your belly button. It's the least invasive method and it results in less scarring and faster recovery. The details of your surgery may vary, but most laparoscopic kidney removal takes two to three hours.

For living donors, the road to recovery is typically swift. Most donors spend two to three days in the hospital. You'll leave the Transplant Institute armed with detailed instructions, pain medications and a list of phone numbers to contact for any questions or emergencies. More than likely, you'll be able to get back to your normal everyday activities after four to six weeks. And while you may bear a small scar from your surgery, you can wear it with pride knowing you helped save a life.

Staying Connected

We're part of your story and you’re part of ours. In addition to your regularly scheduled donor follow-up visits to our Institute, we keep our team-patient connections going strong through annual events like our annual Patient and Family Picnic and the GR8 to DON8 race.