Twelve Kidney Donors

Twelve renal homotransplantation donors were interviewed in depth between five weeks and 18 months after surgery. Unexpected findings were (1) the decision-making process about donorship did not at all follow a pattern compatible with the concept of "informed consent" but occurred as an instantaneous, irrational response which subsequently was justified and maintained with the aid of a number of defensive techniques; and (2) the prevalent idea that the organ donor makes a major sacrifice without getting anything of significance in return was not true for our subjects who looked back upon it not as a disruptive, but as an integrative experience.