Living Donor. Advocate. Builder.
I’ve donated both my liver and kidney – and created a platform to help people find donors, share their stories, and navigate living donation with support.
Founder of Living Donor Match • Liver & Kidney Donor • Donor Mentor
What is Living Donor Match today?
Living Donor Match began as a platform to help people find living donors and support those considering donation. While the original platform is no longer active, this space continues the mission-focused on advocacy, donor support, and building what comes next.
How My Donor Journey Began
Hi, I’m Julie.
I’m a living liver and kidney donor, the founder of Living Donor Match, and someone who has spent years supporting people navigating living donation – from those considering becoming donors to families searching for one.
I always knew I wanted to be a donor.
In 2018, I started seriously looking into living donation and realized that liver donation made the most sense for me at that time. What surprised me was learning that most transplant centers did not allow altruistic liver donation.
That was hard for me to understand. People were dying while waiting for transplants, and I was willing to help – but because I did not personally know someone who needed a liver, my options were limited.
I joined a transplant-related social media group to learn more and shared my frustration. Many people responded with their own stories or the stories of loved ones who desperately needed a donor.
One story stayed with me.
A mother shared that her adult son’s liver had failed, and if he did not receive a transplant, his lungs would fail too. I got tested, was approved, and in December 2018, I became his living liver donor.
December 2018
Became a living liver donor after connecting with a family in urgent need of a transplant.
Creating Living Donor Match
After my liver donation, I couldn’t stop thinking about the people still waiting -those still searching, still hoping, and still trying to figure out how to be seen.
I realized something important.
People weren’t just struggling to find donors.
They were struggling to tell their story in a way that reached the right people.
So I created Living Donor Match.
It was a platform designed to:
- Help individuals share their need for a living donor
- Provide tools to communicate their story clearly
- Build a database of people in need of donors
- Support those considering living donation
I built and ran it independently, offering it as a free resource for the transplant community.
Over time, it became a place where people could find connection, information, and support during one of the most difficult times in their lives.
When the site was later compromised, I made the difficult decision not to immediately rebuild – but the mission behind it never went away.
Today, LivingDonorMatch.org represents the next phase of that work – focused on advocacy, support, and expanding what’s possible in living donation.
Living Donor Match
A platform created to support people searching for living donors and those considering donation.
2018 – Began exploring donation
Dec 2018 – Liver donor
2021 – Kidney testing
February 2023 – Kidney donor
Becoming a Kidney Donor
In 2021, I began the testing process to become a living kidney donor.
After being approved, I waited until the beginning of 2023, when I received the call that it was time.
Becoming both a liver and kidney donor gave me a broader perspective on living donation – not just medically, but emotionally and practically.
I understand what it feels like to go through evaluation, to wait, to prepare, and to recover, as well as the weight of making a decision that can change someone else’s life.
Supporting Donors, Recipients, and Families
Since 2018, I have supported people on both sides of living donation – those considering becoming donors and those hoping to find one.
My role is not to pressure or persuade. It is to listen, share perspective, answer questions from lived experience, and help people feel less alone.
Guidance through fears, questions, family conversations, and what the process actually looks like.
Support in sharing their story clearly and helping others understand their need.
Advocacy for ethical storytelling, accurate information, and a more human-centered approach to donation.
Work, Advocacy & Impact
My work in living donation extends beyond my own experience as a donor.
I have spent years supporting individuals, families, and organizations – helping improve awareness, strengthen communication, and make the process feel more human and accessible.
Founder, Living Donor Match
Built and managed a platform designed to help individuals find living donors, share their stories, and receive support throughout the process.
Donor Mentor & Peer Support
Provided one-on-one support to individuals considering living donation, offering real-life perspective, reassurance, and guidance through an unfamiliar process.
Transplant Community Advocate
Worked to improve awareness and understanding of living donation, with a focus on ethical storytelling and reducing misinformation.
Collaboration with Donate Life Hollywood
Supported efforts to ensure media portrayals of organ donation do not negatively impact the transplant community.
Nonprofit & Digital Strategy Work
Worked with mission-driven organizations to strengthen their messaging, outreach, and online presence to better serve their communities.
This work has always been about creating more access, more understanding, and more connection within the living donation space.
What I Care About
At the center of all of this work is a simple goal:
to make living donation feel more human, more understood, and more accessible for everyone involved.
Expanding access to living donation so more people have the opportunity to give and receive life-saving transplants
Helping individuals share their stories with clarity, honesty, and dignity
Encouraging accurate, responsible representation of transplant and donation in media and public conversations
Supporting living donors before, during, and after donation – not just medically, but emotionally and practically
Reducing fear, confusion, and misinformation around living donation
Making the process feel more human, approachable, and supported for everyone involved
This work is deeply personal – but it’s also about something bigger:
creating a space where people feel informed, supported, and empowered to make life-changing decisions.
Why This Work Matters Moving Forward
My experience as both a liver and kidney donor has given me a deep understanding of what living donation asks of people – emotionally, physically, and practically.
My work in advocacy has also shown me how important it is for donors and recipients to have access to clear information, compassionate support, and systems that help them move through the process with confidence.
This is why I feel strongly about continuing to contribute to this space in a more formal way – through donor mentorship, advocacy, and work that supports both living donors and those in need of a transplant.
I am especially drawn to organizations like the National Kidney Registry that are focused on expanding access to living donation while also protecting and supporting donors throughout the process.
Living donation is not just a medical process.
It is a human experience – and people deserve support that recognizes both.
A Personal Perspective, Not Medical Advice
I am not a medical professional, and I do not provide medical advice.
What I offer is lived experience, perspective, and support from someone who has personally gone through the living donor process twice and has spent years supporting others in this space.
Every donor, recipient, and transplant journey is different. My goal is to help people feel informed, supported, and less alone as they explore their options and make decisions that are right for them.
Let’s Connect
If you are considering living donation, searching for a donor, looking for a donor mentor, or interested in my advocacy work, I would be happy to connect.
You do not need to have the perfect words or a fully formed question. Sometimes the best place to start is simply a conversation.
Whether you are exploring donation, supporting someone you love, or reaching out professionally, you are welcome here.
Start a Conversation
If you’re not sure where to start, that’s completely okay.
You can reach out with a question, a situation, or just a few words about what you’re navigating. I’ll meet you where you are.
You’re welcome to reach out even if you’re not sure what to ask yet.
A quick note
You don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out.
Whether you’re just starting to think about living donation or have been navigating it for a while, it can help to talk it through with someone who understands.
I’ll respond as soon as I can.
All conversations are private and handled with care.