I’ve had an organ donor card in my wallet for as long as I can remember and I’ve always made it very clear to my loved ones that I want all my organs to be used when I die.
My question is, given that I only need one kidney, would it be better if I were to donate the other one right away rather than after my inevitable demise?
Obviously, my organs won’t be used in the unlikely event that I die in some unrecoverable way, like being lost at sea or something. And there’s always the possibility that a close relative might need a kidney at some point, so I should arguably save it for them.
Is there some other reason to do it now?
I mean, I only get 65% normal function out of both kidneys pumping at full capacity so giving away one would likely put me down to 33% which is in the “you need dialysis every week if not more often” range. Don’t set yourself on fire just because you think you might help someone out for a few years.