Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — While more than 90,000 people in the United States are waiting to receive kidney donations, Dr. Aleksandra Gmurczyk was able to help two people on the waiting list.
In turn, she donated her kidney to a woman she had never met, launching reciprocal donation.
It occurs when a person is ready to donate his kidney to someone who needs it in his life, but it is not a good match for him. Thus, the recipient is exchanged with another donor.
In this case, the kidney of Gmurchik was donated, in February, to a woman in Virginia, according to Northwestern Medicine, where the doctor practices.
The patient’s husband donated his kidney to someone else at Northwestern Medicine, due to a mismatch with his wife.
“I didn’t want to donate specifically to one person,” said Jmurczyk, a nephrologist and assistant professor at Northwestern Medicine.
By donating a double kidney, she felt she had a chance to help more people.
In 2020, 22,817 kidney transplants were performed in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. On average, it takes about three to five years for a patient to be matched with a kidney donor, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Gmurchik often witnesses cases of patients with kidney failure, in which the kidneys are unable to filter waste and toxins from the bloodstream, which forces them to undergo dialysis.
Although treatment varies depending on the level of care required, dialysis is usually performed three times a week for about four hours, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
There is still a long list of patients waiting to receive donations. However, some are apprehensive about undergoing a transplant, due to mistrust of the health care system or donation requirements.
And 9 years ago, Gmurczyk began to think about how to change the minds of these people. And she decided to donate one of her kidneys to increase people’s confidence in the procedures, and to encourage others to donate.
Kidney donations from living people start working immediately, says Gmurczyk, and can work twice as long as those from deceased donors—15 to 20 years versus 10 to 12 years, respectively.
After her kidney matched the patient’s in Virginia, Jemurczyk ran kidney function tests and abdominal scans to find the smaller kidney, which would eventually be donated.
Her care team included another nephrologist, pharmacist, surgeon, social worker, and donor advocate.
Donor advocates work to ensure that donors are not coerced or paid to undertake the process. Social workers help provide support to the donors, making sure they have someone to look after them at home after the operation.
“People who have had a transplant need support,” said Gmurczyk. “Many people don’t have even one person to help them after the operation.”
Gmurczyk has already reaped the rewards of her donation.
She explained that one of her patients was skeptical about a kidney transplant, but decided to start the evaluation process.
