My daughter and I have same blood type and I’m healthy, so, my question is, could my daughter take my kidney if I pass all the tests for kidney donors? Do kidney donors need to be blood related? If a person died as the result of a tragedy, could that kidney be used?

I am assuming that your daughter has Type 1A (autoimmune) that has been difficult to control for a number of years as a result of which she has a significant degree of renal failure. If this is correct, then with modern methods of immunosuppression you could be a kidney donor. She would have to be on immunosuppression, possibly for life. She could also receive a kidney from an unrelated donor in which case she might have to wait rather longer for the operation.

Nowadays the question would arise as to whether she would be best served by a pancreas and kidney transplant. In Minneapolis, they have been able to successfully transplant a kidney plus part of a pancreas from mother to daughter and this might also be an option preferable to waiting for an unrelated donor with an intact pancreas.

From the above it should be clear that kidney donors do not have to be related to recipients.

I would suggest, that if at all feasible, with the help of your daughter’s doctor you meet with one of the transplant team to discuss these issues.

DOB