KIDNEYS FOR COMMUNITIES URGES PEOPLE TO CONSIDER BECOMING A LIFESAVING KIDNEY DONOR DURING NATIONAL KIDNEY MONTH 100,000 Americans in Need of a Lifesaving Kidney

TOLEDO, Ohio, March 3, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- More than 100,000 Americans await a lifesaving kidney from a donor, says Kidneys for Communities, a non-profit group that helps connect donors with those in need, doing it at no charge.

Iin recent years, kidney disease has become recognized as a leading cause of death in the U.S. March has been designated as National Kidney Month to help bring public attention to the urgent need for more living kidney donors.

"Being a kidney donor can be a life-changing decision, for both the recipient and the donor," said Atul Agnihotri, CEO of Kidneys for Communities, who received a lifesaving kidney ten years ago.

Centers for Disease Control data shows that kidney disease affects an estimated 37 million people in the U.S., and approximately 90% of those with kidney disease don't know they have it. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network reports that approximately 13 people die each day waiting for a kidney transplant.

Nearly three years ago, Kidneys for Communities began its Children and First Responders initiatives, designed to improve access to and facilitate living kidney donations by connecting those who want to help first responders with those in need of a lifesaving kidney donation. The program is based on the Kidneys for Communities community-directed donation model, designed to foster connections based on the affinity individuals have with membership-based communities. The initiative has expanded through partnerships with first responder groups including the New York City Police Benevolent Association, National Association of Police Organizations, the National Fallen Firefighters Association, most large law enforcement and firefighter unions as well as with companies like Knox, whose security systems are used by more than 15,000 fire departments, law enforcement and other agencies.

To addressing the shortage of living kidney donors, Kidneys for Communities developed the first-ever national community-directed donation program. The program unlocks connections created through membership-based communities with the goal of increasing the number of living kidney donors in the U.S. through paired kidney exchange.

Paired donation is based in part on Nobel Prize winner and Stanford economist Alvin Roth's contributions to algorithms that help match patient-donor pairs to one another so that each patient receives a transplant of a well-matched kidney.

"Our community-based program has already helped save the lives of dozens of police, firefighters, EMS workers and others nationwide," Agnihotri said. "But our list of people in need of a kidney continues to grow, and we are looking for more potential donors to step up so we can find a suitable match." Kidneys for Communities assists with expenses for travel and lodging for donors.

To learn about specific people a kidney donation might assist, see https://kidneysforcommunities.org/recipients/

About Kidneys for Communities

Kidneys for Communities is a nonprofit that partners with organizations to impact the lives of their members by offering free resources about living kidney donations to members of their communities, increasing the chances of a donor directing a gift-of-life kidney to a fellow member in need of a kidney.

The leadership team includes innovative leaders, kidney donors, social workers and medical experts in the field of nephrology and renal transplantation — all of whom have seen this disease up close and are committed to making an impact. To find out more about how to help first responders who are in need of a kidney transplant, visit https://kidneysforcommunities.org/first-responders/.

Media Contact:

David Reich 914 325-9997

[email protected]

SOURCE Kidneys for Communities