Altruistic kidney donation question
TL,DR: I will donate my kidney anonymously soon, as it has been planned for a few years now. I am in a healthy condition (generally), but have 3 potential "red flags".
I drink (not much). I can stop as needed.
I vape and used to smoke. I can stop as needed.
I have a medical record that includes inpatient hospitalization for a psychiatric condition.
I want to know if any of the 3 could exclude me, and understand the size of each obstacle.
Hello,
I've been planning on this for a few years now and finally my circumstances allow for it. I am set on wanting to donate anonymously, but had a few questions regarding donor requirements. (NJ, USA)
I did labs not long ago and my body is generally in a healthy and stable condition. (I'm 24)
I have 4-6 drinks (2-3 doubles) most weeks.
I used to smoke, and now I vape instead. I can only use it a few hours a day and have been using less and less.
I have a psychiatric diagnosis (more than 1, lol) and an inpatient hospitalization experience (more than 1, lol).
I can stop "1)" or "2)" for weeks to months as necessary and have done so before reliably.
Would I need to stop for a certain period or could this disqualify me from the jump?
For "3)", I have been in a stable condition for over a year since I found the right meds and worked on myself. I work in a few things, mainly I work as a therapist (therapist adjacent) full-time. I have been consistently volunteering for the past year 15-30 hours a week besides my work.
I am confident that if I speak with a psychologist or psychiatrist, I will likely be considered stable. Would I get that chance or would I be excluded by requirements before that?
I have looked and will look more into the requirements and speak with the hospital team about these questions regardless. I am hoping to hear from people who donated (or couldn't) under similar constraints. I would also love to hear from any professional involved in these procedures.
Thank you for reading!