Wife Uses Facebook to Find Kidney Donor for Husband
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 5:30AM
When Roxy realized her husband Jeff needed a kidney transplant, she used Facebook to help find a donor and save his life.
Roxy, who appeared on “Anderson” with her husband, took to the social networking site when she found out Jeff was sick, and posed: “Wishing a kidney would fall out of the sky so my husband can stop suffering. Doctors said it would take at least 5years for a deceased donor. So if anyone knows of a live donor with type O blood, PLEASE let me know.”
Roxy admitted she didn’t think anyone would react to the post, and mostly wrote it as a “rant.” Miraculously, a response from their life-saving donor, Ricky, came within the hour.
Ricky, who also appeared on the show, said he was a Facebook friend of the couple, but didn’t know them very well. He decided to give Jeff his kidney because he felt it was the right thing to do -- and said, “I saw the post come up on Facebook, and what caught my eye was the blood type O, and that voice I hadn’t heard from in a while… called a conscience, got in my head, and I thought about it and I spent a few moments looking it up, and then I decided to do it.”
Roxy, who appeared on “Anderson” with her husband, took to the social networking site when she found out Jeff was sick, and posed: “Wishing a kidney would fall out of the sky so my husband can stop suffering. Doctors said it would take at least 5years for a deceased donor. So if anyone knows of a live donor with type O blood, PLEASE let me know.”
Roxy admitted she didn’t think anyone would react to the post, and mostly wrote it as a “rant.” Miraculously, a response from their life-saving donor, Ricky, came within the hour.
Ricky, who also appeared on the show, said he was a Facebook friend of the couple, but didn’t know them very well. He decided to give Jeff his kidney because he felt it was the right thing to do -- and said, “I saw the post come up on Facebook, and what caught my eye was the blood type O, and that voice I hadn’t heard from in a while… called a conscience, got in my head, and I thought about it and I spent a few moments looking it up, and then I decided to do it.”
Filed Under: As Seen On The Show
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AVOID KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION AND DIALYSIS FROM SAFE AND EASY CURE FOR KIDNEY FAILURE BUT NOT POPULAR ALL OVER WORLD BUT HAD SUCCESS IN INDIAN CRF PATIENTS."TREATMENT FOR KIDNEY FAILURE WITH PERMANENT CURE WITHOUT ANY SIDE EFFECTS FROM HOMOEO HERBAL REMEDIES.HAD SUCCEEDED WITH MANY PATIENTS IN INDIA.IT IS A NEW EVOLUTION HAD SUCCESS FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS.FOR APPOINTMENT IN INDIA CONTACT. Mail drprabhakaran05@gmail.com.
Ct . 0091 9566459622.
AVOID KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION AND DIALYSIS FROM SAFE AND EASY CURE FOR KIDNEY FAILURE BUT NOT POPULAR ALL OVER WORLD BUT HAD SUCCESS IN INDIAN CRF PATIENTS."TREATMENT FOR KIDNEY FAILURE WITH PERMANENT CURE WITHOUT ANY SIDE EFFECTS FROM HOMOEO HERBAL REMEDIES.HAD SUCCEDED WITH MANY PATIENTS IN INDIA.IT IS A NEW EVOLUTION HAD SUCCESS FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS.FOR APPOINTMENT IN INDIA CONTACT. Mail drprabhakaran05@gmail.com.
Ct . 0091 9566459622.
As the sister of a kidney transplant, I understand the need for donor organs. However, as a living kidney donor, and independent donor advocate, it's incredibly frustrating to see someone as enlightened as Anderson Cooper to tell such a one-sided story.
4.4 kidney donors die each yr in the US w/i 12 months of surgery.
20% experience complications: hernia, nerve damage, pancreatitis, chylous ascities, etc.
20-30% suffer from depression, anxiety & PTSD. Not a single transplant ctr offers structured aftercare or support services.
Nearly 60 yrs after the first LD kidney transplant, we still have NO national standards of living donor care.
We also have NO comprehensive short or long-term data. Recipients are tracked for 10 yrs in a government sponsored registry. Living organ donors have nothing.
Living donor kidneys are touted as 'better' but for whom? Not for the kidney donor, who is now at a higher risk of hypertension, cardiac disease and death, and kidney disease and death.
The public should never be regarded as medical supply. Living donors are people too, and we deserve the same protections and respect given to our recipients.
www.livingdonor101.com
This is how facebook changed my life and my family. In 2009 a man found me on facebook and gave me his number for me to call him as he had my dad. Myself and my sister had been looking for my dad for about 3 yrs and came that he was probably dead. So on that day in Dec, 24th 2009 a man named Todd Reiners joined facebook after my father told him that he had kids and was ready to meet them. So on Dec 24th I called and as soon as Todd handed the phone to this man who I havent spoke to in two decades. I started to shake and started to cry it was my dad. So to back up my dad left me at the age of one. I was the youngest of 5 children. So I spoke to this man called Todd Reiners and her told me that my dad had been down on his luck and was living out on the streets in Sacramento CA for the past three years. So for one month straight I called my dad every day at the same time, I could tell that the years of drinking had taking a toll on his memory. I only met my dad maybe 4 times in my life over 38 yrs. So in that month I got my dad to trust in me and sent him clothes to wear and got him better things for him. todd took my dad off the streets and moved him into Todds house. So over the month I wanted to meet him for the first time as an adult. Trust me I hated my dad my whole life because we had nothng and we were poor, my mom worked 2 jobs to take care of 5 kids herself. So at the end of Jan 2010 myself and my husband and my sister had decide to fly out to CA to reunite with our dad. So on Jan 26, 2010 I ended up going and meeting him and found out of all the hardships he had. In flight to meet him I didnt know if I wanted to because I was afraid of him leaving me again. So I got off the plane and walked over to the stairs and I seen my dad its was like time stood still. I went and hugged him and cried as he held me in his arms. So the next couple days I went around getting things in order for him to stay out in CA and then I could take care of his things when I went back home in WI. So as I was doing that he looked at me and said "I want to come home". I cried and didnt even ask my husband. I told him of course you can come home. So with in a couple of days he was on th eplane with me and my hubby coming back to WI to live. My dad was still a heavy drinker at the time when he came home with us. So when he came home with us I set rules for him. My dad and myself had 16 months together and in those months he stopped drinking and we became the father and daughter that I never would of had. My whole family forgave our dad and before my dads oassing I took him back to his home town to reunite with his family that he hadent seen in over 30 yrs. My dad passed away April 14,2011 from throat and lung cancer. Myself and my mother took care of him for 5 months before he had passed away in my home. I miss you dad and those ppl we have helped with forgiveness and hope to reunite with family that are lost. It is okay to forgive but never forget. The homeless in Sacramento CA are getting more help because of our story of compassion and moving on with eachother. Anderson enjoy this story and anyone who can be heloed with this. So many kids are hurt because they never get to meet or see one of their parents. Their is always to sides to a story in broken families . I love your show and love how you handle yourself with your audience. Thank you Krista Nary Szymborski.
I watch your show everyday and record it if I'm not going to be home. I got to cross one thing off my Bucket List after seeing your segment about people's lives being changed through Facebook! My school friend found me on facebook a couple of years ago, and we got to meet again after 45 years. We were like two peas in a pod - stuck like glue - as close as siamese twins - spent as many waking moments together as possible! We both moved away from the small town we lived in Alberta, Canada and gradually lost touch. She went this year, back to that small town and we arranged to meet for a 5 hour lunch in a town close to where we both were. When she walked into that restaurant and we saw each other the 45 years melted away and it felt like we had never parted. Of course we were much older with a few more wrinkles and a few more pounds and each with a lot of history, but it was amazing. Besides the birth of my two children it was the best day of my life and the feeling of meeting her again is undescribable. We keep in touch now via facebook and e-mail. We hope to plan a longer visit in the future, but will take some doing - I live in Western Canada and she is many provinces away in Eastern Canada. With any luck we will meet again! So, this is my thanks to the wonderful invention of social networking - Facebook! Thankyou - Anderson - for featuring this on your show!!!
Wow! What an amazing story! Ricky, you are such an angel. It is incredible to see that beautiful, truly selfless people still exist in this world. I hope you find all the joy in life that you deserve :-)
My facebook story is not exciting but may help many people like me. I became a widow at 42. I found a group that has a facebook page which has been invaluable in helping me through my journey. It is widownet. The help and support that belonging to that group has gotten many of us through some real dark days. It is a blessing to have found a group that is joined in such a terrible way but are getting through with each others support. It is the group you never want to join but happy that you did.
hi...message for Anderson Cooper. There are many of us needing a kidney transplant who have pages on Facebook. Now that you have brought this to light, I would like to see you do a segment on a show highlighting the need for kidney donations form LIVE donors. You have two, I functionally have none, so please share. There are so many people in need and simply not enough kidneys to go around. You can live with one, so please get the word out that so many people can help a lot of people live bvetter, more healthy lives. I am lucky. I have a potential live donor, and may be getting a transplant in a few months if all goes well...but there are so many people who have waited and waited. I think it's a grat idea for a show. Thanks.
Facebook miracle: After leaving our dog with a dogsitter when we were on vacation, we came home to hear our dog was eaten by coyotes and she lost our dog somehow. I posted it on facebook and so many people went into
action and helped let us know HOW and what to do and spread the word.
After living in a city (Toronto) for nine nights and losing a lot of weight and
not being killed by a car, etc, we found our dog. The power of facebook.
2. My very first love ( when I was 16) contacted me. He is happily married
in California, etc, but nice to connect and see where our lives took us :)
michael m.the story about the transplant hit home for me because i started on dialysis when i was 30,I got a kidney when i was 35,it was a bad kidney the doctors said but it lasted for 5 years.I had a lot of issues with it but i was blessed to have it.At 40 i lost the kidney,i am 48 now and the transplant nurse said my chances of getting another one is slim because of my antibody level is to high,in order to get one i too need a live donor.Wishing for a second chance.
I do not see the contest site to win a copy of the Facebook Fairytales book. Please enter me to win this book.
Thank you!
Anderson--just finished watching your show today and one of the topics I really connected with----Facebook has definitely changed my life and here is how...
More than 6 months ago my son(which I gave up for adoption 20 years ago) found me on FB. My youngest daughter who has been aware of her brother for at least 2 years now--recieved a private message from him late Oct 2011 and he sent a message saying he thinks he may be her brother. We were together that day at a appointment for her and as soon as she read the message, she shared with me and I panicked b/c I was so excited and could not get the phone to move fast enough to review his page. I ran out of the office, forgot to pay the co-pay, almost got into an accident and ran a red light--trying to get home to log onto FB to look at his pix. My adoption was closed and I only had baby photos of him up to about 3 mos--i knew as soon as I opened the computer it was my son and it has been amazing ever since. His family has been very involved and supportive of our reunion and he has met my entire family and it has been a wild ride.
I went from a private message that very night, to a texting, talking and skyping and he has been to st. Louis twice now and we are planning a 3rd visit. I have many more details to share about my story if you are interested--Like all of this happned during adoption awareness month and that age ol topic of Nature VS Nuture--man, do i have some comparisons for you.
If you would be interested in my story, I would love to talk to you. I think you on a great resource and are at the cutting edge of new information!!
Thanks for your time-
My daughter has been battling a mysterious illness since October of last year. In December we were told that the progression of her disease was catastrophic and that the damage to her brain meant she was unlikely to survive much longer.
Throughout her hospitalization we would post updates on Emma's condition on Facebook. The love and support came pouring in. Messages of support truly kept us going. As well, the mobilization of hot meals for my husband and our other three kids at home, dog walking, Christmas gift shopping and decorating were all arranged through Facebook for us.
Em's favorite has been the 'Emma Button Sightings' Facebook page where people post photos of themselves wearing 'emma is...' buttons all over the world! These buttons are a fundraising campaign to help with Emma's medical expenses. Em can't wait to see where her buttons turn up. Recently, The Great Wall of China thrilled her.
All of our contacts on Facebook have been celebrating with us as Emma's condition has inexplicably improved dramatically. We share videos, photos and regular updates that bring tears, joy and evn more supportive words for our Em.
I can't imagine having gone through this journey without Facebook.
I thought this Facebook segment was absolutely moving. I found my half sister (which I did not know for sure existed) through Facebook after 40 years...Both of my parents passed away and I heard I had a half sister roaming around so I googled and tried Facebook and found her and it has been a couple of years and we are now close. She lives in NYC..I live in Boston.. I am a native new yorker as well. Amazing story...
vita melignano
vmel@comcast.net
I'm using Facebook to teach my family who I am. When I was a child, I was suffering from sexual abuse...because it was an escalating situation, I saw the military as a way out of the house. I left @ 18, and never planned to return. Last year, I was forced to examine some things in my life. What I realized during that time is that my mother, and my sister really didn't know me, the things I've done, or the places I've been. So, now I'm using f/b to scrapbook my life...my sister knows more about me now...and I'm happy about that because I was not a very good older sister to her.