About to do a social media spring cleaning? Hold that thought. It looks like there's a reason to keep all those "I barely know you" Facebook friends around. Strangers could save your life one day!
A Michigan woman named Roxy Kurze was frustrated after learning her husband's chances of getting a kidney transplant any time soon weren't looking good. So she did what we all do when we're cranky. She threw up a Facebook status about her plight:
Wishing a kidney would fall out of the sky so my husband can stop suffering. So if anyone knows of a live donor with type O blood, PLEASE let me know.
Little did she know it would be read by one of those random Facebook friends who was essentially a stranger. Ricky Cisco read up on live kidney donation, and he reached out to Roxy via private message. He had only met her once through work, but the comedian had Type O blood. He figured he'd be a match, and he was.
Cisco's kidney was transplanted into Jeff Kurze's body late last month. Both are doing fine, but the story highlights a rare occurrence in life: living donors giving their kidney to a stranger. Usually it's a family member doing the deed, or at the very least a friend.
But you don't need to know someone in your family, or even find them on Facebook. You can become a living kidney donor to a stranger by reaching out to a transplant center and making the offer to the Kidney Transplant Coordinator. They'll run tests, assess your health and viability as a transplant candidate, and help you find a match. A less complicated approach is to become a bone marrow donor. All it takes is a mouth swab (I've done it), and they put your DNA in the system. If someone needs your marrow, likely someone suffering from a disease like leukemia, your name is pulled up and you have the option to say yes or no to helping out.
Even easier? Go find a blood drive near you and donate. That alone could save a life.
Have you considered donating to save a life?
Image via boliston/Flickr