A kidney transplant recipient can receive either a deceased donor kidney transplant or a living donor kidney transplant. A deceased donor is from someone who has died and made the decision to donate their organ. A living donor can be someone you know or do not know and it can be someone who is related to or unrelated to you. For example, the living donor can be a family member, friend, coworker, and a neighbor or sometimes even a stranger. These individuals made the decision to donate one of their two kidneys to someone in need.
The potential recipient will need to be evaluated at a transplant center as the initial step in moving forward in the transplant process. A successful kidney transplant from either a deceased donor or a living donor allows the kidney transplant recipient to lead a better quality of life as they once did prior to their diagnosis of kidney disease.