Center for Living Donation

The Henry Ford Center for Living Donation is a tribute to those who give the “gift of life.” Doctors, advance practice providers, nurses, social workers, staff and former donors have come together to create the experience our living kidney and living liver organ donors deserve.

Become a Living Donor

The Henry Ford Center for Living Donation provides organ donors with answers to questions about living donation, as well as support before, during and after their procedure. Our financial specialists will help living donors navigate insurance and other resources for expenses.

We will work to help donors understand the risks involved with surgery, prioritize their comfort and safety, offer robotic procedures when appropriate and acupuncture for pain control. Donors who wish to learn more about their procedure and recovery are provided learning tools via an iPad.

For those in need of a kidney or liver transplant, The Henry Ford Center for Living Donation will help navigate the delicate process of reaching out to those individuals who may be willing to consider living donation. To assist you or others reaching out on your behalf, the Center for Living Donation can help educate potential donors about donor screening and the process of living donation.

The wait time for an organ in Michigan can be as long as five years. Every living donor shortens the wait list and saves lives.  In addition, living donation offers multiple benefits to the organ recipient:

• Living donor transplant can often be scheduled prior to the recipient becoming significantly ill.
• The health history of the donor is known well in advance, which allows significantly more screening and planning by medical staff.
• Organs donated through living donation typically last longer and work immediately.
• Long-term illness can have negative effects on the rest of the body. These are avoided with living donation.