The University of Toledo will host a banquet this weekend to honor individuals who chose to become living kidney donors through The University of Toledo Medical Center.
The invite-only event, which will be held Sunday at the Pinnacle in Maumee, is a joint effort of The University of Toledo Foundation and UTMC.
Organizers expect about two dozen kidney donors to attend, along with their guests, UTMC representatives and other community leaders. The event is being held in connection with National Donate Life Month, which encourages individuals to sign up as organ and tissue donors.
“Our living kidney donors are really special people,” Dr. Obi Ekwenna, vice chair and associate professor of urology and transplantation at UToledo. “They don’t do it to get recognition, but I think as a community we ought to recognize what they’ve done and to celebrate their selfless act.”
Among the scheduled speakers are Wendy Pestrue, CEO of United Way of Greater Toledo, retired NASA scientist Dr. Rafat Ansari, who received a kidney transplant in November 2023 at UTMC, and Ansari’s donor, Georgette Mihaljevic.
Kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organ in the United States, with more than 27,000 procedures completed last year alone. However, less than a quarter of those donated organs came from living donors.
Advocates and transplant surgeons would like to see that percentage increase.
“Living kidney transplant is the gold standard,” Ekwenna said. “It is the best option for someone who has kidney failure.”
Live kidneys generally begin working more quickly than kidneys from deceased donors and continue functioning longer after transplant. Having a living donor also can significantly reduce the time an individual with end-stage renal disease needs to wait for a transplant, shortening or potentially eliminating the need for dialysis.
While UTMC has one of the fastest deceased donor kidney transplant programs in the country, with the median time patients spend from being listed to receiving a transplant at less than two and a half months, Ekwenna said the hospital would like to do more living donor transplants.
Of the more than 3,000 transplants UTMC has performed in the last half-century, a little more than 10% have come from living donors.
“I think we have a lot of opportunity to improve that,” Ekwenna said. “By celebrating our living donors, we’re able to highlight what living donation is and how it’s done. Hopefully that creates awareness and opportunities for education.”
Prior to becoming a living kidney donor, volunteers are put through a battery of tests to evaluate the health of their kidneys as well as their overall mental and physical health.
Donors can give to a specific person or donate altruistically to someone they don’t know.
“A lot of individuals come forward because there’s somebody in their lives who needed a kidney but they weren’t a match. Because of that connection, they want to help someone else,” said Constance Cashen, UTMC’s living donor coordinator. “Regardless of the situation, we’re there with them every step of the way to answer their questions, protect their health and ensure they can get back to normal everyday living as soon as possible.”
Required testing for living donors is covered by Medicare, and the cost of the surgery and postoperative care is covered by the recipient’s insurance.
“Raising awareness about living kidney donation and demystifying the process can save lives,” Ekwenna said. “Because of the rigorous evaluation process, the risks of donating are nearly negligible. There are people living in this community who have donated and you would never know it because they live completely normal, healthy, unchanged lives.”
Individuals thinking of becoming a living kidney donor can contact UTMC’s living donor program by calling 419-383-3419.
