How you can help
1. Be my living donor
Your Questions Answered
Before you consider registering to be my donor, please read our FAQs for living donors.
Register
To register to be my living donor please complete the following steps:
1. Go to the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Living Donor Transplant page.
2. Download the Living Kidney Donor Handbook under the “Organ Donation from Living Donors” section. Read through this before you apply.
3. Once you are ready, call the URMC kidney transplant office at 585-275-7753 and let the secretary know that you are
interested in being a donor. You will need the recipient’s full name and date of birth (Mike Cook, 12/25/1955). They will take your
name and contact information, and ask you a few basic medical questions.
4. You will then be transferred to or receive a call from one of our Living Donor Coordinators. They will go
through a more comprehensive medical history and psychosocial history to help determine if you are a
candidate for donation. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about living
donation and what to expect during the screening process.
5. If your initial intake interview does not reveal any reason why you should not donate, the coordinator will
make arrangements for you to give blood and 24-hour urine samples. If you do not live in the
Rochester area, you can have this done locally. The lab work will help to
evaluate your kidney function and general health.
6. Once your lab results have been received by the Living Donor Team, the coordinator will review them
with our medical director, and if deemed an appropriate candidate, will contact you to schedule an in-person Donor
Evaluation at Strong Memorial Hospital. If you live out of town, you will need to travel to
Rochester for the evaluation.
My insurance covers all medical costs (including testing), and you do not have to be a New York resident to donate. Funds are available to pay for transportation, lodging, salary and childcare expenses, meals, and car rental.
If you have any questions or want to check on the status of your application, please call the Transplant Center Donor Coordinator:
Donor Coordinator:
Deborah Van DeWater RN
585-275-1955, select option 1
Hand Out Flyers & Posters
We have flyers and other materials for print if you’d like to distribute these around your neighborhood and local community centers. Please visit our Media Corner to access. We also have some items not listed on the site – email us at kidneydonor4mike@gmail.com. We’re happy to send some items your way.
3. Learn About Organ Donation
The Internet is full of great resources! Here’s a few to get you started. Learning about the value of being an organ donor is a great first step towards supporting the transplant community.
4. Wear a Mask!
One of the best ways to protect people who are at high risk of getting COVID-19 is to continue wearing a mask and practicing social distancing. Those with chronic illness are more likely to experience deadlier complications from COVID-19. Transplant patients, who are immunocompromised, are also very vulnerable to the virus. So please, follow those CDC guidelines and mask up!
For more on COVID-19 public health guidelines, please visit the CDC’s website.