About Living-Donor Transplantation

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)  registry has more than 106,000 people waiting for an organ, and the number continues to grow each year. Unfortunately, there are not enough organs for everyone on the waitlist.

Most people think organ donation is something you can only do when you die. But many people can safely donate a kidney or part of their liver while alive.

• During a living-donor liver transplant, a surgeon removes part of a healthy adult’s liver. They transplant that part into a transplant recipient. Both livers can grow to full size again in just a few months. This leaves both the living donor and the recipient with whole, healthy livers.
• During a living-donor kidney transplant, a surgeon removes one of two kidneys from a healthy adult. They transplant one kidney into a transplant recipient. Both the donor and patient can live a healthy life with one working kidney.

Living-donor transplants save lives. A living donor can see their friend or loved one return to a healthy life or know that a stranger will return to theirs. Compared to those who get an organ from a deceased donor, patients who get a living-donor transplant tend to:

• Have shorter than average waitlist times
• Live longer
• Have a donated organ that works better
• Have fewer complications

Additionally, patients who receive a living-donor transplant are removed from the national transplant waiting list. This makes a deceased-donor organ available for someone else in need.

What Sets Us Apart

When it comes to transplants, experience matters. Northwestern Memorial Hospital does more living-donor transplants than any other hospital in Illinois. In 2025 alone, we performed 99 living-donor transplants, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, 2024 to 2025.

Living-Donor Transplant Support

Transplant Village is a community of organ recipients, donors and family members who have been affected by Northwestern Medicine Organ Transplant Center. They provide resources and support, including the Donor Champion Program. These resources help people on the transplant waitlist learn ways to find a living donor.

Explore our transplant resources. They include patient education materials, support groups and more.

Schedule an Appointment

To learn if you qualify for a liver or kidney transplant or to be a living donor, please call 312.695.8900 (TTY: 711). We can help you schedule an appointment at one of our locations.