100th non-directed kidney donation a major milestone for M Health organ transplant program
A surge of donors selflessly gave their kidneys to strangers in May, paving the way for our 100th non-directed kidney donation.
Medical school student Jackson Baril has always wanted to help patients in need.
But this aspiring doctor went above and beyond when he donated his kidney to a stranger on June 7, 2016.
His procedure—called a non-directed donation—is the 100th of its kind performed at the University of Minnesota. University experts helped pioneer this type of surgery more than a decade ago and the University of Minnesota Health organ transplant program remains a national leader in both quantity of these procedures and non-direct kidney donation outcomes.
“So many patients across the nation have run out of options. Kidney transplants are their only hope for a second chance at life free from dialysis, and they rely on generous living donors like Jackson,” University of Minnesota Health Transplant Surgeon Ty Dunn, MD, said.
Baril was one of five donors at the University of Minnesota who selflessly gave their kidneys to strangers in the month leading up to the milestone. This surge in non-directed donations is unprecedented in the transplant community.
The Making of a Donor
During his undergraduate studies, Baril took a tissue engineering class where he learned about the need for donated organs. Then, a news story piqued his interest.
“I would want a person to donate their kidney to me or my family if we needed a transplant,” said Baril. “So I wondered if I would be able to do that for someone I didn’t know.”
When he requested information at the age of 20, Baril did not meet the minimum donation age. But, after months of consideration, he returned to pursue donation at the age of 21. Though his family was skeptical at first, they soon realized the impact of the decision.
“My parents said I could be an altruist in other ways,” said Baril. “But I told them suffering somewhere isn’t a reason to ignore suffering elsewhere. I needed to help this person who was looking to someone like me for a second chance at life.”
Learn more about the University of Minnesota Health living donor kidney donation program.
Today, there are more than 100,000 patients around the nation waiting for a kidney transplant. On average, 13 patients waiting for a transplant die each day because they don’t have a donor or are unable to receive the life-saving donation.
“We’ve made great strides in the field of transplantation, but the intangible selflessness of living donation is beyond science. It’s amazing,” said Dunn.
Transplant Surgeon Erik Finger, MD, performed the 100th non-directed kidney donation transplant. Watch as he explains the importance of non-directed donors.
