The Gift of Life: Can a Husband Donate His Kidney to His Wife?

April is National Giving Life Month, a time to raise awareness among people who need an organ transplant. Donate Life America reports that more than 100,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant; 85 percent of people who wait need a kidney. Living donors can provide a kidney or a portion from their liver to a waiting patient. Last year, there were more than 39,000 organ transplants from 18,300 donors.Paired kidney donation is rare, but it is possible.

One out of every four kidney transplants is made possible thanks to living donors, and one out of every 20 is made through combined donations. One out of every three couples involves spouses. Studies have generally shown that donating kidneys to a spouse has a positive impact on marriage.But what happens when kidney donation occurs outside of marriage? This is the first study that evaluates the impact on marriage when the gift is made to someone other than the spouse. A Seattle man took his marriage promise to love his wife in sickness and in health very seriously, after saving her life by giving her his kidney.Lesley Kennedy, from Seattle, was placed on a waiting list for kidney transplants two years ago because she contracted polycystic kidney disease.

Karen Angellotti was 30 years old when she learned that she had polycystic kidney disease (PKD), an inherited disorder that caused cysts in her kidneys.The living gift can also come from someone who doesn't have an emotional relationship with the recipient, such as a friend of a friend, a co-worker, a co-worker at their place of worship, a neighbor, or someone who listens through social media. Dean says it was a pleasure to work with Ed and Darlene's attitudes during the process. Visit the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) data page for detailed statistics on the short-term complications of donating living beings (as reported to the United Network for Organ Sharing).The use of living, unrelated donors in kidney transplantation remains controversial, but many transplant centers have accepted this procedure. Sometimes, the kidney is lost due to rejection, surgical complications, or the original disease that caused the recipient's kidney failure.The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive and oldest organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease.

April is National Giving Life Month and today is Living Donor Day, a time to celebrate all those who gave the gift of life.