Dear MissFrizz,
I donated to my Dad in May 2011. He's about 75 years old, and had kidney failure due to the anti-rejection medications used after his heart transplant in the 1990's. The heart failure was due to viral myocarditis. That means he contracted a virus that damaged his heart. Anyway, right now he is the happiest most pleasant person I know.
I'm sure his nephrologists and cardiologists would not have considered him as a candidate for transplant if he was not likely to benefit from the surgery. The outcomes for transplant are much better than dialyisis. I'm also sure I would not have been accepted as a donor if he was not likely to benefit from the surgery. We are fortunate that my Mom is in charge of dispensing his many daily medications, it is an important job.
I'm not in the outcome business, so I try not to speculate about the future. Regardless, when I saw Daddy the day after transplant looking healthy (better than I did at that time!), I figured everything was already "put to paid". love, elephant