There are more than 92,000 people in the nation waiting for a kidney transplant, and wait times are increasing. Living kidney donors save the life of the recipient and reduce the number of people on the deceased donor waitlist. At UW Health, we honor living kidney donors as life-saving heroes.
Living kidney donation happens when you give one of your kidneys to someone whose kidneys are failing. During this surgery, your kidney is removed and placed into the recipient’s body. You can live well with one kidney, and the recipient will have better health with their new kidney. A transplant from a living kidney donor is the best option for people who need a kidney transplant.
Why choose UW Health?
The UW Health Transplant team has been serving living kidney donors for more than 50 years. We are nationally respected for our surgical expertise and outstanding patient outcomes. Our team focuses on thorough patient education and creating personalized donation plans to support your needs.
We are the largest and most active living kidney donation program that works with the National Kidney Registry. We are a Center of Excellence for most insurance networks and a certified living kidney donor center for adults and children. U.S. News & World Report ranks University Hospital as Wisconsin’s top hospital.
Proud member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes (APOLLO) Network, working to address racial disparities in kidney transplant outcomes.