Would you give one of your kidneys to a stranger?

Often labelled as a ‘silent killer’, kidney disease can appear without physical symptoms and is often misdiagnosed.  And with thousands of people in the UK in need of a new kidney, a transplant can transform the life of someone living with the disease. However, a new charity poll reveals that too few of us would consider donating a kidney to someone that we don’t know.

In an effort to encourage more people to consider a living kidney donation, new research from the Kidney Research UK reveals just 13% of adults in the UK would consider donating a kidney to a stranger, despite the overwhelming majority (80%) of people believing you can change someone’s life even if you’ve never met them.

The poll – undertaken by YouGov – is part of a new UK-wide campaign, Make Your Mark, launched by two national charities, to encourage more people to consider becoming a living kidney donor.  The research also highlights that 55% of all Britons would consider donating a kidney to a family member while nearly a third (30%) would consider donating to a friend.

Aston spoke to Lucy Sreeves, executive director of income generation and communications at Kidney Research UK and Bob Wiggins, chair of Give A Kidney.