Table 3.

Challenges to Donation or Transplantation

Themes	“It got harder or scary for me when…”
Donors
I became afraid I wouldn’t be able to donate	“…there were all these tests to do, and if I didn’t pass them, it wasn’t like there was something wrong with me, I would just feel so bad that I wasn't able to, to do what I wanted to do for somebody…”
My family was unsupportive or worried	“…my family worried about quite a bit of things in regards to the donation…the rest of my family along with my wife just thought I was crazy. And they were worried that I that I didn’t know what I was doing, that I was doing it for the wrong reasons.”
Recipients
I feared that I wouldn’t find a match	“I was scared that I wouldn’t find a match because I didn’t have a family that was alive or close to me.”
I became worried that I would get rejected if I asked someone to donate	“Honestly, I didn’t have the courage to do so (ask anyone to be my donor). I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know what to say or even ask. I was so ashamed when I was so afraid that I, if I asked that I would just be rejected. And I didn’t think that I would be able to handle that.”
Donors and Recipients
I became worried that the kidney wouldn’t work posttransplant	“I worried a lot about it (the kidney) failing because he needed it so badly…It was kind of his last shot and I thought, gosh, if this doesn’t work after everything we've been through…” -Donor “What if my kidney didn’t work?” -Recipient
I began to worry about the donor having medical complications after surgery	“Can I live on just 1 kidney? What are the repercussions for me donating? What are the risks involved? Will this end my life? Or will my life expectancy I should say be impacted by this? How long will it take to heal? Do I have to change my diet or my lifestyle?” -Donor “I had many questions about how this would impact [donor’s] life, including was the surgery safe for him? What were the long-term consequences be for him and his health? Was his family okay with doing this?” -Recipient