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Kidney transplants from living donors have advantages over cadaveric kidneys. Here are some reasons:

The living kidney is the best quality kidney that a patient can receive because the donor can be thoroughly tested before the transplant.

Half of the living kidneys transplanted today will still be working 25 years from now; half of the cadaveric kidneys will fail within the next 10 years.

Most living donor kidneys function immediately after transplantation, while many cadeveric kidneys don't function well immediately.

Transplants can be done immediately; the average wait for a cadaveric kidney in New England is 3 to 4 years.

*taken from Mayo Clinic and Rhode Island Hospital websites

Some disadvantages of being a living kidney donor:

Obvious reason: one less kidney in your body.
- What if something happens to that kidney?
- What if a family member eventually needs a kidney, and you would have been a perfect match for him?
- The remaining kidney may get over-utilized, and you yourself may face dialysis or the need of a kidney transplant later on in life

A non-family member can never be a perfect match, however close the match is

Submission to the risks of major surgery (exposure to anesthesia, risk of infection, always a risk of complication or death)

6-8 week recovery period

*taken from phone interviews with Aunt Maureen, P.A., and Adrienne Kania, D.O.