gene100001

I've been thinking about being a non-directed donor for a while and never even considered how it could kick off a chain that leads to lots of people getting kidneys. From what I've read the long term impact of only having one kidney is minimal. The main concern I have is that the surgery itself can go wrong (I think you have a ~1/3000 chance of dying during surgery, but don't quote me on that).

In my country, if you donate a kidney altruistically you are given one of the highest priorities if you need a kidney later in life. So in a weird way you're actually kind of better off if you donate a kidney (provided you make it through surgery), because you're covered if you ever get kidney failure later in life.

They really need to advertise this point better. With the minimal life impact of only having one kidney, it almost makes logical sense to donate a kidney. By donating you basically insure yourself against kidney failure because you're practically guaranteed to receive a donated kidney should you need it. Kidney failure tends to hit both kidneys equally so having only one kidney doesn't really increase your risk. The biggest drawback at the moment seems to be the dangers of the surgery itself, which is are low but not insignificant