When a kidney fails, the patient needs to have a kidney transplant as soon as possible. Machines can only do so much work. In 2012 alone, 95,000 people in the United States were waiting for a kidney transplant. However, nowhere near that number of kidneys was available for transplant. In fact, that year, only about 16,000 kidney transplants occurred. It takes more than four and a half years to get a kidney transplant, and this unfortunately means that a large number of people will die on this waiting list. 

Those who are living without healthy kidneys are often getting sicker by the day. It is taking a toll on both their health and the wellbeing of their families. Dialysis can only help for so long, and those who are on dialysis have a hard time trying to hold down a job, which can make paying for treatment nearly impossible.

The situation is actually getting worse, too. Just a couple of years ago, fewer people were on the waiting list, and it took nowhere near as long to get a kidney. What can we do about this problem? Well, we can’t start stealing kidneys and leaving people in bathtubs full of ice, no matter what all the urban legends might say. Instead, the country needs to find a way to increase the number of organs available in a legal and ethical manner.

People only need to have one kidney to live a normal and healthy life. This means that if more people were willing to donate kidneys, it could help reduce the wait time for a kidney transplant, and increase the chance of those patients recovering and living a long and healthy life. However, no one would expect someone to give away a kidney. A healthy topic for debate – some have suggested it could be a good idea to institute a cash for kidneys program.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you.