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Jesse Eisenberg is donating one of his kidneys — and he’s giving it to a complete stranger. On the Thursday, Oct. 30 episode of the Today Show, the Oscar-winning actor shared the life-changing decision for the first time. “I’m actually donating my kidney in six weeks,” he said. “I really am.” The actor — who is already a longtime advocate for blood donation — was then asked what prompted his selfless decision. “I don’t know why. I got bitten by the blood donation bug. I’m doing an altruistic donation (in) mid-December. I’m so excited to do it,” he continued. An altruistic donation, also called a non-directed donation, is a form of living organ donation where the recipient is not known to the donor and is chosen based on medical compatibility, rather than personal connection. “It’s essentially risk-free and so needed,” The Social Network actor told TODAY.com in a separate interview. “I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer, if you have the time and the inclination.” Eisenberg also shared some insight into the process for those who are unfamiliar. “Let’s say person X needs a kidney in Kansas City, (and) their child or whoever was going to donate to them is, for whatever set of reasons, not a match, but somehow I am,” he explained. “That person can still get my kidney and hopefully that child of that person still donates their kidney, right? But it goes to a bank where that person can find a match recipient, but it only works if there is basically an altruistic donor.” He said he first got the idea to become an altruistic donor a decade ago, but after contacting an unnamed organization, he never received a response. Recently, he told one of his friends in the medical field his desire to donate, and they directed him to NYU Langone Health in New York City, New York. “I was in the hospital the next day and went through a battery of tests, and I’m now scheduled in mid-December,” he said. Eisenberg also addressed concerns people may have about donating a kidney to a stranger, just to eventually find out a family member or friend needs one down the line. “The way it works now is you can put a list of whoever you would like to be the first to be at the top of the list,” he said, referring to the National Kidney Foundation’s family voucher program. The actor said he put his family members on his list so they’ll be prioritized for a living kidney donation if they ever need one. “So it’s risk-free for my family, as well,” he added. Eisenberg’s new movie Now You See Me: Now You Don’t premieres in theaters Nov. 14.
