If you watched a local newscast last month, or even some national ones, you probably saw the story of the
Gilbreath family from Bonham, Texas. John Gilbreath, 3, has lived
without functional kidneys since birth.
His father,
Chris, is a Sherman firefighter. On Monday, May 18, Chris donated one
of his kidneys to John. And Children’s covered the entire
surgery on Twitter.
The
Gilbreaths were gracious with their story. They were eager to help raise
awareness for organ donation. In addition to allowing
Children’s to Twitter from the surgery, they also allowed the hospital
to share the story on its blog, “From the Red Balloon.”
In
fact, a friend of the Gilbreaths recently posted a comment on the
blog, letting readers know that, “Yay! Our little buddy John
Gilbreath is going home today! Both he and his dad Chris are
feeling great.”
Twitter, blogging and other social
media allow families like the Gilbreaths to create awareness about
medial topics, and to engage with others whom they wouldn’t
otherwise get to interact.
If you’d like to join
the conversation with others in the Children's Medical Center
family, it’s easy. There are lots of ways to get involved:
Read our blog, “From
the Red Balloon.” It offers information therapy: patient
stories, parenting how tos and witty quips on the latest
health-related news. And don't be shy. We welcome your comments on the
blog.
Follow us on Twitter
and get instant, bite-size updates on health research, patient
families and kids’ health topics.
Join our cause on
Facebook. Link
up with others who support our cause to make life better for
children.
Watch our videos on YouTube. Pediatric health experts share information on
medical and behavioral health topics on everything from heart check-ups
and youth athletes to potty training.
