Did you know that your liver is essential to your life? It’s the largest solid internal organ and performs many vital functions like filtering toxins, producing bile, storing energy, and more.
If your liver fails, you may need a liver transplant. As obesity rises in America, liver conditions such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), are becoming more common, and more people are finding themselves in need of a life-saving liver transplant. Research estimates that 80-100 million Americans have MASLD and that the condition is present in 75 percent of overweight people and 90 percent of those with severe obesity. MASLD is also the most common form of childhood liver disease in the United States.
Living donor liver transplantation offers a solution
Did you know that someone can donate a portion of their liver to you? The liver is the only organ that can regrow, so only a portion is needed for transplant. Before donating, a donor’s doctor will run tests, including blood work and physical and psychological exams, to ensure the donor is a good match and well enough for surgery. For the transplant, your donor will spend about a week in the hospital, and within two to three months their liver will grow back to full, functioning size — and so will yours!
What are the benefits of a living donor liver transplant?
There are currently 9,430 Americans on the waitlist for a liver transplant. Each day, people die waiting or are removed from the waitlist because they’re too sick or their liver cancer has become too advanced to undergo a transplant. Like living kidney donation, living liver donation reduces wait time — often by years — allowing someone to get this lifesaving operation when they need it.
Facts about living donor liver transplant
- Saves valuable time by reducing the risk of the recipient’s liver condition getting worse.
- Typically results in quicker recovery and improved long-term outcomes for the recipient because they’re receiving a portion of a healthy person’s liver.
- Allows time for the donor, recipient, and caregiver to plan for the operation.
- Saves another life by allowing the next person on the waiting list to receive a deceased donor liver transplant.
- Trails far behind living kidney donation; data from the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network shows only 6 percent of liver transplants performed in 2023 came from living liver donors compared to 23 percent of all kidney donations coming from living kidney donors.
5 tips to find a living donor
- Social media – Facebook groups are a great way to share your story, photos, and more.
- Word of mouth – Be ready to talk about finding a living donor with everyone from family members to that friend you bump into at the grocery store.
- Social networks – Confide in groups you regularly interact with like book clubs, recreational sports, religious groups, or your child’s school.
- Print materials – Create materials about your story for people to share.
- Public media – Reach out to local television, radio, and news stations.
If you’re looking for a living donor or are interested in becoming one, the American Liver Foundation has a robust library of education, resources, and support services to help walk you through the process. Learn more and help us spread the word at liverfoundation.org/livingdonor.
