The need for living kidney donors is growing, partly because people are living longer on dialysis, explains Dr. Vaughn Whittaker, a transplant surgeon at Upstate University Hospital.
People are usually born with two kidneys and can live with just one, and a kidney from a live donor tends to be of higher quality, he says. Whittaker explains the safety factors and support system that let almost any healthy adult make a living kidney donation, as well as breakthroughs like the ability to donate to someone with an incompatible blood type.
Then, an Upstate nurse who donated one of her healthy kidneys talks about her decision and experience. Nurse Jody Adams learned about Victoria Fitzpatrick's need for a kidney through a Facebook post.
Join us Sunday, November 27 for "HealthLink on Air," on WRVO -- you can hear it at 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.