 The path to finding a living liver donor can have its ups and downs. University of Maryland Medical Center's experience team recommends these top 10 strategies when looking for a living donor. Number one, acknowledge that this is a difficult ask. Your health is a top priority and that means you must make this huge ask for a liver. Number two, my doctor told me. Stress that your medical team says a liver transplant is a life-saving surgery. Tell everyone that your doctor told you that a living donor liver means you will get transplanted faster and with a better quality organ. Number three, know the facts and share them. Key facts include only half of all patients who are listed for a liver transplant actually get transplanted while waiting on the list. As you wait for a liver, you often get sicker and your risk of mortality increases. If you find a living donor, you can be transplanted sooner while you are healthier. Living donors are healthy people who donate part of their liver. The liver can regenerate. It is the only organ that grows back and will return to its original size in a few months. A liver donor does not need to be a family member. A liver donor does have to be at least 18 years old. The donor's operation takes several hours under general anesthesia and typically requires an open incision to remove the part of the liver being donated. There will be some scarring and it will take some time to recover. The cost of donating a liver is covered by the recipient's insurance. The donor has a medical team that is separate from the recipient's team. The donor's health is a top priority. When someone decides to take that next step to see if they could be a donor, all of that information is confidential. Number four, share information. Since you now know the facts, it's time to share this information and your experience. Talk to people. Email and text them. Use social media. Write letters. Don't be shy or quiet about what you need. Repeating yourself is necessary, since it may take multiple volunteers before finding a donor. Bring as many potential donors as possible in order to maximize your chances of finding a match. Perseverance is key. Number five, engage champions. Get family and friends to be your champions, so they share your story too. They can help amplify your efforts by telling neighbors, friends, and even perfect strangers in the checkout line at the grocery store. Number six, talk about your dreams. Think about the future and what you will do when you get a new organ, like going on a vacation or walking a daughter down the aisle. Talk about those dreams because a donor can help you achieve them. Number seven, don't ask at all. Remember those champions? Let them be the ones who set up social media accounts and ask others to consider donating an organ. This means you don't have to ask at all. Others are asking on your behalf. They're called champions for a reason. Number eight, repeat, repeat, repeat. Find different ways to say the same thing. Use words, photos, or even videos. Many people need to hear something seven or more times before making a decision. Number nine, stay up beat. This path to transplantation can be challenging, but a living donor transplant is life changing and makes all this effort worth it in the end. Number 10, visit the website so you can keep learning and get others to learn with you. Interested donors can visit our website for valuable information, including next steps for being considered as a donor. University of Maryland Medical Center, a better state of care.