Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation | EP 8

01/05/22 • 28 min

A transplant isn’t an event that happens exclusively to the organ recipient. It also has a major impact on the family of a recipient or organ donor and often results in complex situations and relationship dynamics.

Carol Offen and Betsy Crais are co-authors of "The Insider's Guide to Living Kidney Donation: Everything You Need to Know If You Give (or Get) the Greatest Gift.” “Our book includes much-needed nontechnical guidance for living donors and kidney patients considering or dealing with a transplant, from medical information to the impact on family relationships. Patient or donor, it’s critical to consider all the issues and be well informed. Knowledge is power–never more so than in matters of health,” explains Carol, a writer/editor in North Carolina.

Betsy, a North Carolina University professor/researcher, is a grateful kidney and liver recipient: she had a kidney transplant in 2004, and a kidney AND liver transplant the summer of 2021. Carol donated a kidney to her son when he lost kidney function stemming from a strep throat. Learn how their stories intertwine and ultimately lead to a 7-year journey to publish their book together!

The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation

“The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation” is available in a variety of formats and places:

You can contact Carol and Betsy at [email protected]. Check out Carol’s Blog, which is ranked #2 of the Top 30 Kidney Donor Blogs.

Donor Diaries Website
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The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation

“The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation” is available in a variety of formats and places:

You can contact Carol and Betsy at [email protected]. Check out Carol’s Blog, which is ranked #2 of the Top 30 Kidney Donor Blogs.

Donor Diaries Website
Donor Diaries on Facebook

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Race Matters with Dr. Dinee Simpson | EP 7

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Race Matters with Dr. Dinee Simpson

Plainly stated, white people are four times more likely to receive a kidney transplant than an African-American people. And, Asian-Americans and Native Americans, have more than double the likelihood of receiving a kidney transplant than African-Americans. This is the case despite African-Americans having higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure than other racial cohorts. These are the health conditions that put people at further risk for organ failures.

According to UNOS, once a patient is on the waitlist, the system policy that we have assures equity. The problem is everything before that. A good nephrologist should be thinking about transplantation for any patient who has progressive end-stage renal disease. That doesn’t happen as much with African Americans and Hispanics and probably poor people. But it’s clear that African Americans and Hispanics are not referred or preemptive transplants as much as others.

Disparities in access to renal transplantation between black people and white people have been extensively documented, and show that black people have significantly poorer access to transplant. This is a major problem that many institutions are taking an action to correct.

Dr. Dinee Simpson, is one of nine Black female transplant surgeons in the United States. She’s committed to breaking down barriers to transplant care in the African American community through access to education, resources and world-class transplant care. She founded the The Northwestern Medicine African American Transplant Access Program (AATAP), to address disparity in access to transplantation experienced by the Black community.

AATAP is a program built for the Black community, based on feedback and conversations with Black community members about the challenges of navigating a complex diagnosis and the healthcare system. The four pillars of the program address patient distrust of health care, cultural competency, health literacy, and psychosocial support.

Show Links

African American Transplant Access Program

"Chicago transplant surgeon aims to increase live-saving options for African American patients" abc7chicago.com March 2, 2021.

"She's Rebuilding Trust One Patient at a Time" March 2, 2021.

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An Economists Perspective on the Value of a Kidney | EP 9

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It’s illegal to buy or sell a kidney in all countries, except Iran. But imagine if there was a waitlist of people waiting to donate a kidney, versus a waitlist of people waiting to receive a lifesaving transplant. Could this be possible if the government financially compensated kidney donors? What if we not only removed the disincentives to donate, but added an incentive? What is the financial worth of a kidney, and what would donors need to be paid to ensure they are not exploited? Why is it OK to sell sperm, eggs, blood products and skin, but not kidneys?

Frank McCormick is a monetary economist who has recently turned his attention to the severe shortage of organs for transplantation. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He was a Senior Economist in the Division of International Finance at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington before becoming Vice President and Director of U.S. Economic and Financial Research at the Bank of America in San Francisco. After retiring, he taught economics at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, and the Graduate School of Management at the University of California at Davis.

While teaching, he became interested in the shortage of transplant kidneys, and, together with his co-authors, he has recently written six papers on the subject:

Join us for this controversial episode that walks us through Frank’s research and decide for yourself whether kidney donors should be compensated for their kidney donation! Let us know what you think on our Facebook Page!

Additional Resources

Donor Diaries Website

Donor Diaries Facebook Page (New!)

Iranian Kidney Exchange- L.A. Times article

National Kidney Donation Organization (info on how to donate while alive!)

Organ Donation Registry (sign up to donate your organs at death)

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