What is a living liver donor?
A living liver donor is someone who donates part of their liver while still alive. This is possible because the liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate. If you donate a portion of your liver (typically 40 to 60%), the remaining liver tissue begins growing almost immediately. Within eight weeks, both your liver and the portion you donated will be nearly full-size. They'll keep growing slowly over the coming year until they've completely regenerated.
You can give this incredible gift to a relative, a friend or even a stranger, so long as you and the recipient have compatible blood types.
Why is living liver donation important?
To someone in liver failure, receiving a liver transplant can be lifesaving. A number of conditions can lead to liver failure, including liver cancer, hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Thousands of liver failure patients in the U.S. are on the waiting list to receive a transplant from a deceased donor. Some will die before they're able to get one. Patients with a living donor have a much shorter wait time and a better chance of a successful transplant.
If you have questions or would like more information about becoming a living liver donor, please send us an email.
