John needs a kidney transplant.
John Treantos, husband, friend, and neighbor, needs one kidney to reclaim his life. The generosity of a potential donor like you will allow him to return to a fuller life.
Prayerfully consider completing this form.
Takes about 10 minutes. It goes to the transplant team at Nebraska Medicine, not to John — he won't know you filled it out unless you tell him. Also available in Spanish.
About John
John is retired after many years in the Omaha business community. He and his wife Kathy have three grown children and six grandchildren, and he has spent his retirement in the middle of their lives — following their activities, their sports, and their growth into good people.
He started dialysis in 2025. It runs eight hours a day, six days a week — roughly forty-eight hours out of every week, tethered to a machine. Traveling means shipping equipment and supplies ahead of him and hoping it all arrives on time and undamaged. He has been told the wait for a deceased-donor kidney could be about three more years.
A living donor would change that immediately.
I would be able to enjoy my family and my life again without restrictions. I would no longer be tethered to a machine six days a week as my health deteriorates. I would not have to ship equipment and supplies ahead of me and hope it all arrives on time and undamaged.
What donating involves
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You keep one kidney and it does the work of two
The remaining kidney grows and takes over most of the lost function. Most donors live a normal lifespan.
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Keyhole surgery, not open surgery
Usually one or two nights in the hospital, then two to four weeks before you're back to desk work. Longer if your job is physical.
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You don't pay for the medical side
The evaluation, surgery and donation follow-up are billed to John's insurance, not yours. Travel and lost wages are the gap, and the National Living Donor Assistance Center reimburses many donors for exactly those.
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You can stop at any point
Right up to the morning of surgery. Every donor gets an independent advocate at the transplant center whose only job is your interests, and the team will give a medical reason for any cancellation so you never have to explain yourself.
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You do not have to match John
John is blood type O, which is the hardest type to match directly — so this matters more for him than for most people. If you aren't compatible with him, you can donate to a stranger who matches you and John receives a kidney through a paired exchange chain instead. Nebraska Medicine runs more of these chains than almost any hospital in the country. Whatever your blood type, it is worth filling out the form.
Who can donate
Nebraska Medicine's basic requirements for a living kidney donor:
- At least 19 years old
- In generally good health
- No major chronic conditions such as diabetes
- Not a smoker
- Over 65 is considered case by case
If you're unsure whether something rules you out, fill out the form anyway and let the living donor team screen you — that's what they ask people to do. Plenty of people disqualify themselves for something the team would have worked around.
Read more before you decide
- Common questions about living organ donation Nebraska Medicine's own FAQ — eligibility, recovery, risks.
- Why become a living donor Overview of the program and how paired donation works.
- Living donor FAQ (PDF) Printable — good for handing to family.
- Nebraska Medicine kidney transplant program Running since 1970.
- National Living Donor Assistance Center Reimbursement for travel, lodging and lost wages.
- Call the transplant center: 800.401.4444 You can ask anything without giving your name.