About this episode

This episode discusses how to approach the sensitive topic of asking someone to donate a kidney, featuring insights from a living donation expert.

How do you ask someone to donate a kidney? For many people living with kidney failure, this can be one of the most difficult and emotional conversations they will ever face. Fear of rejection, concerns about damaging relationships, feelings of guilt and uncertainty about where to begin can prevent people from exploring living kidney donation as an option. In this episode of Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast, host Dee Moore is joined by Jen Lumsdaine, Lead Nurse for Living Donation. Jen previously worked as a Living Donor Transplant Coordinator in Edinburgh, completed a PhD examining the quality-of-life impact of living kidney donation for donors and recipients, and has worked to improve equitable access to living donor transplantation across Scotland. Together they discuss: 💚 How to prepare emotionally before talking about living kidney donation 💚 Whether you should ask directly or raise awareness more generally 💚 How to keep the conversation open without putting pressure on others 💚 What to do if someone says no 💚 How to protect important relationships during the transplant journey 💚 Common misconceptions about living kidney donation 💚 Why every potential donor undergoes…

People in this episode

Host: Dee Moore

Guest: Jen Lumsdaine

Topics covered

• living kidney donation
• emotional preparation
• communication strategies
• relationship management
• misconceptions about donation
• support for donors and recipients

Keywords

• kidney donation
• living donor
• transplant conversation
• emotional support
• donor assessment
• relationship dynamics
• kidney failure

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Edinburgh, Scotland

More episodes of Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast | Living with Kidney Disease

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• Episode 163: How Undiagnosed Kidney Reflux Led to Kidney Failure | Noël’s Kidney Warrior Story · July 6, 2026 · 41 min

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