Deciding to become a living donor

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Many potential living organ donors have questions, such as what does the journey look like, and how do you know if you are eligible to donate? If you are one of them, this podcast is for you. On this episode, our panel will share the first-hand experience of being a living donor and walk you through the evaluation process.

In this episode, you will hear from:

Tania Kasongo

Tania was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and raised in Ohio. She is very passionate about health and wellness. She is a living kidney donor and donated her kidney in 2014 for her father. Tania graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Mass Communications and a minor in French. She works as an Events Marketing Manager for the American Chemical Society, and has her own event planning business, Yowa Events. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering and is very involved in her community. She has volunteered for various organizations such as New York Cares, Ronald McDonald House charities, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, and many more. She is also a strong advocate for diabetes, kidney health, and organ donation. Other activities Tania enjoys are exercising, traveling, cooking, and horticulture.

Jennifer Bruns, LMSW

Jennifer is a social worker who has worked with kidney patients for the past 23 years in the fields of dialysis, transplant and inpatient care. Jennifer has also served on the executive committee for the Council of Nephrology Social Workers and she is a living kidney donor.

Miriam Goodwin

Miriam is the Director of Health Policy for the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). In this capacity, she helps to define and execute NKF’s public policy agenda with the federal government, working closely with patients, patient advocates, and professionals to ensure that public policy has the priorities of kidney patients at its center. Prior to joining NKF, Miriam was a member of the policy team at Roche/Genentech, where she worked to shape the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) commitments for the PDUFA V and PDUFA VI reauthorization cycles. Miriam earned her MPP from the George Washington University and a BA in biology from Earlham College. She is also a living kidney donor.

Further resources on living donation:

General Information on Living Donation

How do I donate a kidney?

Infórmate Acerca de la Donación de Riñón en Vida para Hispanos/Latinos (Learn About Living Kidney Donation for Hispanics/Latinos)

For additional information, visit kidney.org/livingdonation.