As of March 20, Maryland had 1,563 people awaiting a kidney transplant and 2,349 people waiting for an organ transplant, according to The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
People with two healthy kidneys and who are willing to become a kidney donor need to go through an evaluation process, including meeting with a nephrologist and speaking to someone about their motivations for donating to make sure they are appropriate, said Dr. Susan Mendley, director of pediatric nephrology at the University of Maryland Hospital for Children in Baltimore.
Anyone who wants to become a donor should call the University of Maryland Transplant Program at 1-410-328-5408, Mendley said.
To learn more
For more information about organ donation, visit the following Web sites:
· Transplant Resource Center of Maryland at www.mdtransplant.org
· Center for Organ Recovery & Education at www.core.org
· United Network for Organ Sharing at www.unos.org
· The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network at www.optn.org
