Thousands need a kidney transplant each year. Living donors could help meet the demand

Judith Morrison is keenly aware of the state of her kidneys.

She has polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and needs a kidney transplant. Over the last five years, she's watched their function drop to five per cent.

"It's so scary watching it slowly decline," she told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC's White Coat, Black Art.

Judith's sister Catherine, who also has PKD but doesn't need a transplant, is leading the search for a living kidney donor, typically a faster process than one from a deceased donor. The two sisters are based in Calgary.

"I know she's going to get a kidney. I'm just waiting for when, and I can't wait," Catherine said.

Some patients in Alberta are reporting hurdles in getting potential donors tested, which includes blood tests and a review of medical history. Nephrologists and national kidney experts say that across Canada, the testing process can be challenging to navigate for both potential living donors and their recipients in need of a kidney.

Demand for kidney donations is high, and has exceeded supply for years in Canada. 

And the number of people in Canada with end-stage kidney disease continues to rise, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. At the end of 2022, about 73 per cent (or more than 2,750 people) of those in Canada waiting for an organ transplant were waiting for a kidney. 

In 2022, 117 people in Canada died while waiting for a kidney transplant. 

That's all made worse by a testing process that some donors and potential recipients say is plagued by delays. 

For Judith, both her potential donors have told her that their calls to the southern Alberta transplant program have gone to an answering machine. After playing phone tag, they had to wait weeks or even months for next steps in the process. 

"There isn't somebody who's making sure that everything's lining up and is being done at the right time so that things can move through the system as efficiently as possible," said Catherine.

Health officials must address inefficiencies in the living donor testing process so any potential donors can get through as quickly as possible, experts say. 

"It's that importance of being safe, but being as efficient as possible at the same time," said Dr. Ann Bugeja, a nephrologist at the Ottawa Hospital and director of the hospital's living kidney donor program.