Originally published July 25 2010
Patients find organ transplants on Facebook
by Jonathan Benson, staff writer
(NaturalNews) Popular social networking site Facebook is apparently good for a lot more than just chatting with friends and posting pictures. A recent Fox News article explains that many people in desperate need of transplant organs are finding quick matches through their connections on Facebook.
As far-fetched as it may initially sound, finding an organ donor through Facebook is not really all that crazy of an idea. Thousands of businesses, politicians, entrepreneurs, musicians and non-profit groups, use Facebook to network and promote themselves because they recognize the incredible reach and power of the site to spread important news quickly.
According to the report, roughly 84,000 Americans are waiting to receive a kidney transplants, and many have been waiting for years. Unable to find a donor the conventional way, some patients have turned to Facebook and successfully found donors.
Sarah Taylor, a 53-year-old woman diagnosed with renal failure for eight years, decided to post a message on Facebook one night to let people know about her desperate need for a kidney. She received responses from nearly 200 people, and found a great match from a high school friend who lived just two blocks away. The transplant was successful with no complications.
A similar situation occurred when 44-year-old Carlos Sanchez posted a message on Facebook about his need for a kidney transplant due to kidney failure from type-1 diabetes. Within two minutes, the mayor of his town responded to him, saying she would be a donor. The transplant was a success.
There are many other cases of patients who have successfully found organ donors through Facebook rather than conventional waiting lists. And having a live donor is typically far more successful than getting an organ from a cadaver like many transplant patients do.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,597302,0...
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