A retired North Miami Beach teacher recently received the gift of life, with a social media post playing a crucial role.
Ellen Sherman, a retired teacher who suffered from renal disease for some time, needed a kidney transplant. After waiting for over two years on the donor list, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She contacted one of her former students named Brad Meltzer, who is a bestselling author and explained the situation. He wanted to help, and posted a message on Facebook, where it was seen by his more than 100,000 followers. One of them who saw it wanted to lend a hand.
Amy Waggoner, who lives in Virginia, read the post and decided to be tested to see if one of her kidneys would be a match. Luckily for Sherman, she was, and the surgery went ahead.
The transplant recently took place at Jackson Memorial Hospital, about a year and a half form the date they first got in touch with one another.
There is a shortage of organ donors, and brochure printers can create promotional materials that help to get the word about how important it is to share the “gift of life’ with those who need it. According to Dr. Goldstein, who works at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Facebook is being used increasingly often to help match organ donors and recipients.
