5 December 2013
People in the Netherlands have little awareness of the fact it is possible to (anonymously) donate a kidney during their lifetime. So more information is needed. Central individuals working in healthcare cooperated with 50 anonymous kidney donors to come up with ideas during an afternoon of discussion.
During the discussion afternoon, donors explained that they had encountered few to no physical or mental problems due to the intervention. They live a healthy life with one kidney. “If I didn’t only have two kidneys, I’d do it again,” they say. A kidney from a living donor has major advantages for the patient too. An anonymous kidney donor can also facilitate four to six transplants, thanks to the Erasmus MC living kidney transplant programme. Another consideration is the fact that the waiting time for a kidney from someone who has died is 4 to 5 years. In short, there are plenty of reasons to look for more living donors. As a result of the mini conference, a working group is now being put together. Here, transplant professionals and anonymous kidney donors will continue to work on ways to increase awareness.
