Kidney Swap gives hope to those on transplant list

TROY, NY — Kidney Swap, an organization that helps people on the transplant waiting list find suitable kidney donors, has turned its promise to reality by donating 100 free one-year subscriptions to its services to those in need of kidneys this week. Kidney Swap representative Suzanne Luraas announced the donation, saying, “Kidney Swap believes strongly in giving back and we are excited to donate 100 subscriptions this holiday season to try to do our part in helping those waiting for a kidney donation.”

Kidney Swap is an innovative program that allows patients who need kidneys to take a proactive approach to find suitable donors. Often, people waiting for kidney transplants have friends or family who are willing and able to make a kidney donation but have tissue or blood characteristics that are incompatible and would cause the transplant to be unsuccessful.

For instance, a person may need a donor with Type A blood and have a potential donor with Type B blood. Kidney Swap allows people with healthy and willing yet incompatible donors to meet others who are in the same dilemma and essentially swap kidneys. Kidney swapping is a relatively new alternative for those in need of kidneys and so far has had higher success rates than kidney donations removed from the deceased.

Those interested may sign up at http://www.onlinekidneyswap.com/form.html.