"Living" liver donation is possible because of the liver's ability to regenerate. Within a month or so of a transplant both recipient and donor should have healthy, full-sized livers. The procedure has been widely available only since 1999. By the start of 2001, about 500 people around the world had donated liver sections to other adults. The risk of death to the donor is about 1 in 150. By comparison, the risk of death for those who donate a kidney, a long-standing practice, is only 1 in 10,000. At least two deaths, maybe three, have occurred so far - one in the USA and one or two in Europe.