>Transplantation
In Illinois, there are more than 4,600 individuals who are waiting for a transplant, and approximately two-thirds of them are waiting for kidneys. The average wait for a kidney transplant in Illinois can be 5 to 7 years. For those who have willing family members or friends, living donation may also be an option.
The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois provides support, educational programs and materials for those individuals who are either considering or living with transplant because the best choice is an informed choice.
The following is a list of transplant centers in Illinois, including links to their websites:
Advocate Christ Medical Center
Children's Memorial Hospital
Loyola University Hospital
Memorial Medical Center - Springfield
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
OSF St. Francis Medical Center - Peoria
Rush University Medical Center
The University of Chicago Medical Center
University of Illinois Medical Center
Click to view a list of other transplantation resources
Visit our video library for more information.
Living With Transplantation Peoria
HELD Saturday, September 8, 2012
Please click on the links below to access the presentations that were given at Living With Transplantation in Peoria!
10 Important Things to know about kidney transplantation
1. Patients can receive a healthy kidney from a deceased or living donor.
2. While in the past living kidney donors were primarily blood relatives, in recent years transplants kidneys have been donated between friends, coworkers and even perfect strangers.
3. The average wait time for a deceased donor kidney in Illinois is four to six years.
4. One way to circumvent the wait for a transplant is to find a living donor. Living donors are matched to potential recipients based on a number of clinical requirements such as blood type and antigen matches.
5. A transplant patient will depend on anti-rejection medications after the surgery for the duration of their organ's life span.
6. Overall in the US the patient survival rate one year after transplant is 98%.
7. Kidney transplantation is a treatment option, not a cure. A patient with chronic kidney disease will still have CKD after a transplant, just as a diabetic patient will still have diabetes after a transplant.
8. Patients that receive a successful kidney transplant no longer have to rely on dialysis.
9. Most kidney transplants in Illinois are done laparoscopically meaning the incisions on both the recipient and living donor are small. This translates into quicker recovery times - about four weeks for the recipient and 2-3 weeks for the living donor.
10. For the most part, living donors go on to lead full, healthy lives. They will not need to rely on medication after a transplant.