Strengthening the Transplant System: 5 Common Myths About Living Kidney Donation

With more than 90,000 people in the U.S. on the national transplant waitlist, the demand for life-saving organs far outpaces the supply. Living donation offers a strong pathway to addressing this public health challenge, and supporting a larger potential donor pool requires providing clarity on perceived barriers in the process.

Angela Laino, a DaVita social worker who guides patients through their transplant journeys, recently became a non-directed living donor. In non-directed donation, sometimes called altruistic donation, someone chooses to donate their kidney without having an intended recipient. Laino’s selfless decision initiated a transplant chain that saved three lives. Her firsthand experience highlights the profound impact of living donation and the need to remove structural barriers for future donors.

Below, Angela addresses five common myths and the systemic shifts necessary to strengthen the living donor pipeline.

Myth 1: Donors must be a perfect biological match.

The Reality: A donor does not need to be related to the recipient or have an exact blood type match. Advanced algorithms and paired kidney exchange programs can connect multiple incompatible donor-recipient pairs. MedSleuth, a transplant transformation company, is partnered with the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation (APKD) to offer KidneyMatchgrid. This leading paired exchange offering leverages match optimization to facilitate matches within a single center, across cities — and even throughout the U.S.

Insight: Turning a biological “no” into a logistical “yes” maximizes every willing donor’s impact. Policies supporting cross-center paired exchanges can exponentially increase successful transplants.

Angela’s Perspective:
“People are sometimes surprised I didn’t donate to a loved one, but as a social worker, I’ve seen how transplant provides the best quality of life for our patients. When I found out my single donation could start a chain and help three people, it was incredible. It’s thrilling to know one act can have such a ripple effect.”

Myth 2: Living donation creates a massive financial burden.

The Reality: The donor recipient’s insurance covers medical costs.

Insight: No donor should face financial hardship. Programs like MedSleuth and APKD’s DonorProtect help remove financial barriers. Through DonorProtect, living donors can receive reimbursement for lost wages, travel, dependent care and even pet care.

Angela’s Perspective:
“The hospital covered all my medical testing. And I received financial support  covering my travel, gas and hotel — I haven’t spent a single penny out of pocket.¹ They even cover childcare and meals, as well as expenses like pet boarding and meals or lodging for a caregiver. They think of everything and work to help remove financial barriers donors may face.”

Myth 3: Donors risk losing their jobs or income.

The Reality: While the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protects your job, it doesn’t guarantee paid leave. However, specialized grants and progressive employer benefits can bridge this gap.

Insight: Leading healthcare employers like DaVita offer specialized paid time off (PTO) for living donors — fostering confidence for someone considering living donation. For most people, even when someone is self-employed, there are resources for wage reimbursement during testing, surgery and recovery, such as the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) and APKD’s DonorProtect.

Angela’s Perspective:
“I’m so grateful DaVita offers a specific living donor benefit that provides up to four weeks of paid leave. [Because I received four weeks,] I didn’t have to use my regular PTO, which took the stress away and allowed me to focus entirely on healing.”

Myth 4: Donation diminishes long-term health and life expectancy.

The Reality: Kidney donation is a safe, routine surgery with a low complication rate and no long-term adverse health effects.

Insight: Misinformation restricts the donor pipeline, but education campaigns can help elevate clinical facts and normalize living donation.

Angela’s Perspective:
“The evaluation is the absolute best physical you will ever get. The transplant center won’t let you donate if it puts you at risk. Now, I want to show people what you can do with one kidney! I’m back to working out and joined a group for athletes who are kidney donors. I use my experience to show others that someone can donate and go back to living life to the fullest. I was cleared to go back to the gym six weeks after surgery — and I have felt great!”

Myth 5: Donors are left unprotected if their remaining kidney fails.

The Reality: If a living donor ever requires a kidney transplant later in life, they are granted priority status on the national waitlist.

Insight: MedSleuth and APKD’s Kidney Pledge extends priority status for donors to help protect their family members and loved ones if they need a kidney transplant in the future. This safety net can help prospective donors trust that the system will help protect them.

Angela’s Perspective:
“The chances of needing a kidney are very low, but if I ever did, I know I’d go straight to the top of the list. And because I donated with Medsleuth and APKD, I received their FamilyPledge, so if my immediate family members ever need a kidney, they are covered too. Knowing my donation could potentially protect my future grandchildren sold me on the idea.”

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1 Angela received financial support through the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC), which reimburses expenses associated with living donation up to $6,000. For living donors whose expenses exceed the max coverage through the NLDAC, programs like DonorProtect through the APKD and MedSleuth can offer additional support to reduce or remove financial barriers to donation.