Why A Living Donor vs A Deceased Donor?

There have been a few people ask me the difference, if there was one, between receiving a kidney from someone who is living (a living donor) or from someone who has passed away/been on life support.
Info taken from the following website.  http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/childkidneydiseases/treatment_methods/#2

Here is the difference.

Deceased Donor Kidneys
To receive a deceased donor kidney, your child will be placed on a waiting list. Every person who needs an organ from a deceased donor is registered with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which maintains a centralized computer network linking all regional organ gathering organizations and transplant centers. (See Resources.)
How long your child will have to wait for a transplant depends on many things but is determined primarily by how good the match is between your child and a donor. When a kidney becomes available, the hospital that has obtained the kidney reports to UNOS, where the central computer generates a list of compatible recipients. Candidates' ages and length of time they have waited are factors in the point system. Children 18 and under get extra points compared with adults because they are likely to receive the greatest benefit from a donated kidney.

Living Donor Kidneys
About half of the kidneys transplanted into children are donated by family members-usually a parent-or a family friend. Potential donors need to be tested for matching factors and to make sure that donating a kidney will not endanger their health. Most people can donate a kidney with little risk.
A kidney from a living donor often has advantages over a kidney from a person who has just died.

• A kidney from a parent is guaranteed to match on at least three of six proteins; mismatched proteins may cause rejection.
• Living donation allows for greater preparation and for the operation to be scheduled.
• A kidney from a living donor may be in better condition because it does not have to be transported from one site to another.

How long does the kidney last after transplant?
A kidney transplant does not last for ever. The average life-span of a transplanted kidney is ten years for a deceased donor kidney, and about 12 years for a living related transplant. The average for a living unrelated transplant is somewhere between the two. So, the ‘best’ (longest lasting) kidney transplant is one from a relative, then a friend or partner, then a dead person.
Another way of looking at how long a transplanted kidney is likely to last is to look at the percentage chance that the kidney will be working at set time points.

• a 90% chance (eight or nine out of ten) of working one year after the operation
• a 60% chance (six out of ten) of lasting five years;
• a 50% chance (five out of ten) of lasting ten years or more.

So, younger patients may need two or more transplants in their lives. If a transplant fails, the patient can restart dialysis and go back on the transplant waiting list.
http://www.kidney.org.uk/Medical-Info/transplant/txsurvival.html