The following is part of our series on different ways Facebook is used across the world. Read the previous blog post in this series here and the next post here. If you have a story you'd like to share with us, please submit it here.


Cathy, a mother from Tallahassee, Florida, never imagined that she would be an organ donor, let alone to someone she had never met who lived over a thousand miles away. That would change after she saw the Facebook status of an old friend, Scott, about a mother of two in need of a kidney.

By posting an update to his status, Scott was able to reach all of his friends on Facebook at once to ask for help on behalf of his friend, Beth. "Scott has a friend named Beth who needs a kidney donor. If you have Type O blood, please visit her website," the status read. Beth, of Scarsdale, New York, was fighting kidney disease with only one kidney functioning at 10 percent. Feeling an immediate connection, Cathy began a dialogue with Beth via email and learned more of her story, including that they both have daughters with the same name.

Although a dozen of Beth's friends attempted to fill the role of donor, ultimately none of them turned out to be medically suitable. At that point, Cathy says, she felt in her heart that being able to help Beth would be an incredible privilege. "I had no fear going into it," she said.

In September, Cathy was approved to be the donor Beth needed to help in her fight against kidney disease. Two months later, both women underwent successful surgeries. Beth even posted her gratitude to Cathy in a Facebook status update, and as the women recover, they continue to stay in touch via Facebook.

From this experience, Cathy says she's learned to not underestimate the positive impact technology can have on our lives. "It's been interesting to see how this tool, whose potential people may not recognize, has been able to save someone's life. It's linked two people together who might not otherwise have found one another," she said.


Danna, an Analyst in User Operations, hopes that one of her status updates will bring people together, too.