The Initial Contact
Once the decision to donate has been made the next step is to contact the hospital where the recipient is being treated. During this initial contact, the transplant coordinator will talk to you about all the pros and cons of the procedure and take some blood tests. These will determine:

• the donor’s blood type;
•  the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) type, which checks the compatibility of the donor’s and the recipient’s immune systems;
• the Donor Specific Antibody levels, which identifies any antibodies that the donor’s body has created over the years to defend itself from illness. This is a particularly important test for a female donor who has had a child because the body creates antibodies to protect itself from the foetus.

My Story
The initial contact for me was at Leicester General Hospital because that is where my half-sister was being treated. I contacted the transplant coordinator and told her that I’d like to donate a kidney if possible. An appointment was made and within a couple of weeks I travelled to Leicester to talk over the prospect of donating.

At the appointment, I was told what tests were to be conducted on me that day and, if my half-sister and I were compatible, how we would proceed.

The blood tests were painless, but the wait for the results was not! It took a month before we knew that immunologically my half-sister and I were a match and that the next stage – a full medical evaluation – could go ahead.

Advice
It is wise to get as much information as you can at this initial meeting about how things may proceed if you are a match with your recipient. You will need to know what the next steps are and how many hospital appointments you are likely to be required for so that you can structure your work/personal life around them.

It is KEY to know what is coming next so that YOU can decide whether you want to continue with the process.

It is also important to be prepared for the fact that you may not be a match with your intended recipient and to explore how that might make you feel.