A kidney donor chain creates opportunities for endless recipient-donor pairings. It starts with an altruistic donor - someone who wants to donate a kidney out of the goodness of his or her heart. That kidney is transplanted into a recipient who had a donor willing to give a kidney, but was not a match. To keep the chain going, the incompatible donor gives a kidney to a patient unknown to him or her who has been identified as a match, essentially "paying it forward." A specialized computer program matches donors and recipients across the country.
VIDEO: UCLA Kidney Exchange Program and Kidney Chain featured on The Doctors TV
