Take Action
How You Can Help
Whether you can donate, share, or support — every action makes a difference.
The Most Important Step
Become a Living Donor
Kidney donation: You have two kidneys — and one is enough to live a full, healthy life. Most living kidney donors go on to live long, active lives with no restrictions.
Liver donation: The liver is the only organ that regenerates. A donor gives a portion of their liver, and within 6-8 weeks, both the donor's remaining liver and the transplanted portion grow back to nearly full size.
Who can donate
Age 18–75 and in general good health
Any blood type — do NOT worry about matching
Can choose to donate a kidney, liver, or either
Voluntary and informed decision
3 Simple Steps
The screening process
Register Online
Go to livingdonorreg.upmc.com and enter "Jennifer McGraw" as the recipient. You can choose to donate a kidney, liver, or either.
Talk to the Living Donor Team
A coordinator from UPMC will walk you through a brief health screening. You can also call the Living Donor Office directly at (412) 647-GIFT (4438).
If You Match, Save a Life
If screening goes well, the transplant team handles all medical testing, surgery, and follow-up care — at no cost to you.
The Facts
Safety & success rates
Living donor kidney transplants have a 98–99% success rate at one year. Donor mortality is less than 0.03% for kidney donation (about 3 in 10,000).
Living donor liver transplants have a 90% success rate.
98–99%
Kidney success at 1 year
<0.03%
Donor mortality risk
90%
Liver success rate
$0
Cost to the donor
Zero Cost to You
Financial assistance for donors
All medical costs are covered by the recipient's insurance. Several programs also help cover non-medical expenses:
NLDAC (via UPMC)
Travel, lodging, meals, lost wagesCovers: UPMC participates with the National Living Donor Assistance Center to help donors pay for travel, lodging, meals, lost wages, and dependent care
Eligibility: Recipient must meet income criteria — learn more at livingdonorassistance.org
NY Living Donor Support Act
Up to $14,000Covers: Travel, lost wages, dependent care, medical costs
Eligibility: New York State residents
State Tax Deductions (CT, PA, MA)
Up to $10,000Covers: Unreimbursed organ donation expenses
Eligibility: Residents of CT, PA, or MA
Employer FMLA Protection
Job-protected leaveCovers: Unpaid job-protected leave during surgery and recovery
Eligibility: Donors at qualifying employers
Getting Back to Life
Recovery timeline
Kidney donation
Most donors return to normal activities within 2–4 weeks. Hospital stay is typically 2–3 days.
Liver donation
Full recovery in 6–8 weeks. Hospital stay is typically 5–7 days. Your liver regenerates to near-full size within weeks.
Ready to take the next step?
Register at livingdonorreg.upmc.com and enter “Jennifer McGraw” as the recipient. You can choose kidney, liver, or either. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
A transplant won't just help Jennifer — it will cure her disease permanently. The new organs won't carry the PKD gene.
You'll be taken directly to UPMC Transplant Services
Share & amplify
Every share reaches an average of 33% of your friends. The person who saves Jennifer's life might be one share away from seeing her story.
Other ways to support
Become a Living Donor Champion — you don't have to donate to help. UPMC's Living Donor Champions program helps you spread the word effectively. Join the Living Donor Champion Support Group on Facebook.
Spread the word in your community — family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, social media, email contacts, clubs, places of worship, volunteer groups, alumni organizations, salons, community centers, libraries, and bulletin boards. You never know who may step forward.
Sign up for updates — stay connected with Jennifer's journey and be the first to know about new ways to help.
Print & post flyers — downloadable PDF coming soon.
Stay updated on Jennifer's journey
Sign up for email updates. No spam — just news about Jennifer.