Just in time for the holidays, a nice story of humanity, generosity and social media…
When Chris Strouth found out he had kidney disease, he named it Harold.
It was a goofy way to deal with a serious disease that could in fact, kill him. Strouth had dealt with his disease for close to three years, before visiting the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where he learned that he would need a kidney transplant.
His reaction – log into Twitter.
“‘S*$* I need a kidney,” Strouth wrote, and in a short period of time, 19 people had contacted him with donation offers. The tweet, which could easily be misconstrued as a joke, was linked to Strouth’s Facebook page, where people were directed to a longer, emotional plea.
Scott Pakudaitis was one of the Strouth’s Twitter followers, and the one of nineteen donor volunteers that turned out to be a perfect match. Today, Strouth is recovering nicely from the kidney transplant , thanks to the generosity of Pakudaitis and the social media blow horn that is Twitter.
AND of course, the two of them tweeted before and after the operation.
Strouth: “In the waiting room at the hospital, I feel like I am in 7th grade just before swimming class.”
Pakudaitis: “Hey @chrisstrouth how’s my kidney doing? I hope your recovery is going as well as mine.”
http://www.citypages.com/2009-12-09/news/chris-strouth-tweets-for-a-kidney
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Good to hear