Myron Rivers, who spent a year and a half on home dialysis, was expecting a long wait for a kidney transplant. However, his younger cousin Natasha Weston volunteered to be tested as a potential living organ donor. It turned out that Weston was a match, and she ultimately donated her kidney to Rivers. The two are now advocating for the importance of living organ donation. The average wait time for a kidney transplant is three to five years, and there are over 100,000 people waiting for a kidney transplant in the United States.
Many potential living organ donors have concerns about how donation might impact their own health and lifespan. Dr. Teresa Rice, a transplant surgeon, reassured potential donors that kidney donation rarely harms the donor. In fact, there is a national study that shows that kidney donors have, on average, a longer lifespan than the general population. This is because donors are carefully screened and only the healthiest patients are accepted as donors. Weston’s donation to Rivers has brought them closer together and highlighted the positive impact that living organ donation can have.
