The Power of Social Media

How Facebook helped Marie-Josée find a kidney donor

by Heidi Westfield

When Marie-Josée turned 60 in February, the celebration was especially meaningful. The Kingston, Ontario special education assistant had been through a lot of ups and downs in the past years. At one point, when she was very sick with kidney disease, she wasn’t sure she would see this birthday. Now, thanks to a living donor kidney transplant, she is enjoying her life again and looking forward to the future.

“When I got my kidney transplant, I got my life back,” she reflects. “There are little things that come with a transplant, of course, but my health is fine and I am doing great. I have a lot more freedom than I used to, when I was on dialysis.”

Marie-Josée was diagnosed with kidney disease more than 25 years ago. In 2016, her kidney function dropped to dangerous levels and doctors told her she would need to go on dialysis. She was put on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney, but learned it could take more than five years to find a match.

“I didn’t want to be on dialysis for that long, so I decided to look around for a living donor. I have a small family, so I wanted to look outside of that circle,” she says. “That is how it all started.”

Marie-Josée decided to put a sign on her car, advertising for a donor. The sign read: “Kidney Needed, O Positive, Share Your Spare and Be a Hero,” with her phone number to call.

Her sign garnered a lot of attention, but at first no kidney donor. In March 2018, for Kidney Month, she decided to post a photo of her car ad on Facebook. That proved to be a turning point. The husband of one of her Facebook contacts heard about her situation, and wanted to be a donor. He was a match! Marie-Josée still marvels at the generosity of her donor.

“Somehow, I knew he would be the one. It was overwhelming. Somebody is going to give me a kidney, who didn’t even know me.”

Marie-Josée has no regrets about reaching out on social media. The one thing she wouldn’t do again, is provide a phone number, as this led to some unwanted calls. However, in the end she believes social media can be useful in spreading the word about the need for kidney donors.

As for her 60th birthday present, she believes that her continued good health is the best gift, made possible by the kindness of her kidney donor. The kidney transplant, she says, is the best gift she could ever ask for. 