Penn Medicine in Philadelphia has achieved a world record of overseeing 100 paired kidney donations in the past year. The paired donation method connects potential donors and recipients who have difficulty finding matches among relatives and friends. In one such case, Rich Green needed a kidney transplant, and his brother-in-law, Jason Kingsborough, was a partial match but not the best option. The hospital connected Green with a kidney donor in Los Angeles, who was a better match, and that donor had a loved one who needed a kidney and was compatible with Kingsborough. This successful paired donation highlights the effectiveness of this method in expanding the pool of available organs for transplantation.
The partnership between Penn Medicine and the National Kidney Registry has facilitated the increase in paired donations. The hospital’s Kidney Living Donor Program has hired additional staff to assist donors and recipients in navigating the logistics of the transplant operation. Patients and donors alike have inspired the medical director of the living donor program, Amanda Leonberg-Yoo, as the hospital has reached this milestone. This achievement offers hope to individuals in Philadelphia and beyond who are in need of a kidney transplant, as it demonstrates the possibility of receiving a kidney even when a suitable match among family and friends is not available.
