According to the Health Resources & Services Administration, 103,000 people are waiting for organ transplants; 17 of them die each day. The greatest discrepancy between need and available donors is for kidneys, the need of which is caused by hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, among other diseases. Although advances have been made in the field, such as new perfusion solutions and methods, use of AI allocation algorithms, and new technology for non immunosuppressive transplants, these developments do not solve the problem without the requisite number of transplantable kidneys.

At least 64% of Americans polled support a system wherein organ donors receive compensation, a system which has been banned since the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984. To read more about the arguments for and against such compensation, check out this Vox article. For a detailed description of the experience of a donor, read on here. If you'd like to donate or join the registry, click through to the National Kidney Registry.

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