I qualified as a nurse in 1998 and began my career as a renal nurse. For the last 20 years, I have had the privilege of leading the living donor programme at Sheffield. Outside of work, life is just as full - I have three amazing children, a patient husband, and 12 much loved pets. I'm incredibly proud to be part of both my family at home and my extended renal family at work. Here is a day in my life as a Living Donor Coordinator.

6:00am – The morning rush
It’s Wednesday morning, and the alarm goes off far too soon. Wednesdays are always busy with the Living Donor multidisciplinary meeting starting at 7:45am. That means it’s a mad dash to get the children up and ready for school, the dogs walked, and the animals fed. However, by the time I get out of the door, I’m already shifting my mind into work mode.

7:45am – The MDT meeting
I always feel a bit nervous before these meetings, it's crunch time. This is where the team decides if a donor can move forward, needs more tests, or in some cases, has to be declined. I know how much it means to a donor to be accepted. For them, it isn’t just about the tests or surgery – it's about being able to give something priceless to someone they love (or even to someone they’ve never met).

When a donor is accepted, I see the relief, the pride, and often happy tears. It’s a huge moment that makes all the long appointments and waiting worthwhile. And when it's not good news, I feel that too – the disappointment is real, and I always think carefully about how best to support them afterwards. I meet Lisa, the Clinical Practitioner, in the office and we head into the meeting.

Sitting in the meeting, I carry their hopes and anxieties with me. Around the table (and sometimes on screen) are surgeons, nephrologists, anaesthetists, and scientists. We run through each donor case in detail—discussing test results, concerns, and next steps. My role is to present each case and make sure the donor’s voice is heard. It’s intense but collaborative, and by the end, we have a clear plan for each person.

After the meeting, I head to the clinic to welcome the ‘one stoppers’ and take them to their first appointment of the day. The one-stop day involves a detailed kidney function test (measured GFR), assessment by a Consultant Transplant Surgeon and Consultant Nephrologist ending with the all important CT scan, which completes the core tests required.   

9.30am – Check messages
I then head back to the office to look through my emails and messages. There’s always something waiting—blood results to check, clinic lists to organise, or a donor who needs a call back. I like to plan out my day, but I’ve learned to expect the unexpected—things can change very quickly!

10.00am – Action MDT
I spend the next hour calling donors to make appointments for donors to come in for their results, give donors updates, or request tests, or excitingly give donors and recipients theatre dates.    

11:00am – Nurse Consultation
This morning I have a potential non-directed donor booked for a nurse consultation. They have had their initial tests with Lisa, which included lots of blood tests, including kidney function, liver function virology screening, BP, weight, chest x ray heart tracing. These have been reviewed by our Consultant Nephrologist, and he has cleared them to have their one stop day. Before their one stop day I book a video call with them to discuss the pathway to becoming a donor, the surgery the recovery, the risks although minimal, and generally get to know them, manage expectations and understand their home and working situation. My job is to guide them through the process, explain all the steps, and reassure them that their safety and wellbeing are our absolute priority.

I particularly like this part of the job where I get to know new potential donors and start to form a relationship with them. I start by asking my favourite question, “Why do you want to donate a kidney?” This can often be a very emotional response, and it is particularly interesting to hear how non directed donors have reached the decision. 

12:00pm – Service improvement meeting – working lunch
The transplant team meet with our service improvement coach, whom we have worked with for many years, improving the living donor and transplant service. Currently, we are working on donor videos where previous donors and recipients have recorded their journey to share with new donors and trying to reduce the longstanding issue of patients waiting for their medicines before they can be discharged home. I really enjoy these meetings, and as a team we have made many improvements to our service along the way, like our one stop assessment day.

13.00pm -Video call   
I have a video call with the donor from last week to check on how they are recovering. It is nice to see them rather than talk over the phone, and I can assess their recovery.  

13.30pm – Living Donor Clinic
Here I catch up with the one stoppers making sure the day is going well. I coordinate with the clinic making sure the surgeon and nephrologist have the information they need, and sit in on the consultations. We have a busy clinic with the one stoppers, results, appointments and post op reviews. It's lovely to see the donor from 2 weeks ago doing really well. We give good news to a couple of donors, confirming they are suitable to donate and offer theatre dates, followed by having to break the news to a donor that they can't donate. This is the worst bit about my job. It can be devastating to the donor to be declined, and we offer support to them.

15.30pm – Meet and greet the donor and recipient
The donor and recipient scheduled for theatre arrive in clinic to be seen by their surgeons nephrologists and final blood tests.

16.00pm – Take donor and recipient to ward
I then settle them into the ward, meet their relatives and discuss plans for the next day. It's my job to try and alleviate any last minute concerns the pair may have and reassure relatives.  

16:30pm – Wrapping Up
The last part of my day is usually paperwork—updating notes, clinic outcomes, documenting conversations, it’s not the most exciting part of the job, but it’s essential for keeping everything organised and safe.

17:30pm – Heading Home
As I drive home, I think back to the people I’ve spoken with today. Each one is on a journey that will change their life—and someone else’s—forever. It’s a privilege to walk alongside them, to listen, to guide, and to be part of something so life-giving.

No two days are ever the same as a Living Donor Coordinator, but every day is centred around supporting people who are considering one of the most generous acts possible: giving the gift of life through kidney donation. Every day reminds me why I love being a Living Donor Co-Ordinator.

If you are considering living donation here are some useful links:

www.organdonation.nhs.uk/livingdonation

http://www.giveakidney.org/

About us - Make Your Mark

Requesting a kidney donation buddy - Make Your Mark

http://www.nbta-uk.org.uk/living-transplant-initiative