Living Organ Donation

Most of us are born with two kidneys. However, a healthy person can live a normal, healthy life with just one. This means that a healthy person can give a kidney to someone whose kidneys aren’t working. This gift is living kidney donation. 

Healthy adults may also be able to become living liver donors after extensive medical testing. A portion of the donor’s liver is surgically removed and transplanted into a recipient in need.


Learn more about living kidney donation


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Girl receives lifesaving kidney, thanks to former babysitter

A 13-year-old Ontario girl is looking forward to a bright future after a lifesaving transplant made possible by a special program for living organ donors ― and a very selfless former babysitter.

Am I eligible to be a living kidney donor?

Living Kidney Donation Eligibility

Any adult who is in good health can be assessed to become a living donor. Every potential donor must have a complete medical checkup to make sure they are healthy enough to donate a kidney to a person in need. However, there are many factors that must be considered.

Kidney paired donation

Kidney paired donation is a program that matches transplant candidates with suitable living donors. It gives people the chance to become a living kidney donor while ensuring that someone they want to help receives a needed kidney, even if they are not a direct match.

What is living kidney donation?

Living Kidney Donation Information and Learning Resources

Being informed is a vital step in the journey to become a living kidney donor. Find out if you are eligible, access educational program resources, learn more about how living kidney donation works, and understand how to find a living donor. 

Learn from lived experience

Discover the international living donation storytelling project to hear from donors, recipients and family members in Canada and around the world. You can also help others by sharing your story.

Living Kidney Donor Advocacy Toolkit

Become an advocate for living donation – find tools and resources to help you, your friends and family spread the word about the powerful impact of living organ donation.

Advocacy toolkit for living kidney donation

Circle of Excellence Program Encourages Canadian Organizations to Provide Financial Support for Living Organ Donors

Canadian Blood Services is proud to have joined the Living Donor Circle of Excellence, a new  program launched by the Canadian Society of Transplantation (CST). CST, in collaboration with  the American Society of Transplantation, introduced the Living Donor Circle of Excellence  program to celebrate employers who implement policies that provide salary support to employees  who choose to be living organ donors.

To learn more about the CST Living Donor Circle of Excellence program and how to join the  circle, visit the website here. 

Circle of Life Logo

Canadian Blood Services' role in Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation

Canadian Blood Services works with the Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation (OTDT) community to improve national system performance. We do this through the development of leading practices, professional education, public awareness and data analysis and reporting. We also manage clinical programs that support interprovincial sharing of organs.

Related information

Professional education

This site provides valuable information and data related to clinical programs and services that support interprovincial sharing of organs, professional education resources including the Canadian Clinical Guide to Organ Donation, numerous reports, leading practices and clinical guidelines relevant to deceased donation, living donation, transplantation and tissues.

Organs and tissues

Programs and Services for OTDT

Canadian Blood Services works with the Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation (OTDT) community across the country to facilitate inter-provincial organ sharing and to improve national system performance through the development of leading practices, professional education, public awareness and data analysis and reporting. 

Learn about programs and services for OTDT

Living Donation Storytelling Project

The Living Donation Storytelling Project is a unique digital library of video stories, recorded by real people, sharing their living donor kidney transplant experiences. Canadian Blood Services is collaborating with The Living Donation Storytelling Project to collect and share Canadian stories. Find out how you can participate in this project and share your story. 

Tell your story