"How do I find a living kidney donor?"

This is one of the most frequent questions we hear from people interested in living kidney donation and transplant.

It's a question that can overwhelm potential organ recipients, especially if they feel they've exhausted their potential donor pool of immediate friends and family.

How do you ask a stranger to donate a kidney to you?

This webinar attempted to answer this question. We were joined by Candice Coghlin from UHN's Centre for Living Organ Donation, who shared her organization's wealth of resources and tips for launching your own living organ donor appeal.

We also heard from kidney transplant recipient Jennen Johnson, who held her own successful living kidney donor appeal, and continues to raise awareness about living kidney donation on the ACB Organ Health YouTube channel.

This webinar was recorded, and the video will be available soon on our YouTube channel.

About our speakers:

Candice Coghlan is the Education & Outreach Coordinator at UHN's Centre for Living Organ Donation where she guides patients, families and potential donors through their transplant journeys, pre, during and post. Candice is also a kidney transplant recipient from her mother in 2009. In 2021, she and her husband welcomed a healthy baby girl. She likes to say her mother gave her life twice, and the ability to create it.

Jennen Johnson is a living donor kidney transplant recipient and the host of the Green Table Talk on the ACB Organ Health YouTube Channel. Jennen’s journey began in 2017 when kidney failure put her on the transplant waitlist. At that time, the wait for a deceased donor kidney was six years. In her condition, she was told she had four years to live. Time wasn't on her side. Her best chance was to find a living kidney donor. Jennen’s mom suggested she place an ad for a donor in the newspaper, but none of the major newspapers were interested. Defeated, she reached out to NOW Magazine and they agreed to publish her ad. It was shared on Facebook nearly 2,000 times, and landed her an interview on Global TV. Many generous people applied to be her donor, including the incredible Christi Nolan. Months after she applied and her testing was complete, Jennen received the call that changed her life: Christi was a match! Since her transplant, Jennen has dedicated her spare time to volunteering with the Centre for Living Organ Donation. She continues to share her story in hopes that it will inspire others; after all, she says, “I’ve been blessed with the gift of life and the least I can do is give back!”

Are you interested in attending a PKD Mind Matters Chat one week following this event, where you can talk freely and confidentially with others interested in finding a living kidney donor? Learn more here.