Merv Sheppard's Transplant Network

Justin Bieber, Tom Brady inspire Facebook organ donation app

2012-01-31T11:22:00.001-05:00

Giving Means Living Facebook app designed to help organ donation awareness. Read about it and download at: https://apps.facebook.com/giving_means_living/

Pop Star Justin Bieber and NFL Star Tom Brady are the inspiration for this organ donation Facebook app.

Over 100,000 North Americans are currently waiting for a lifesaving call about organ donations. Sadly many never get the call and pass away before a suitable organ donation is found.

Thanks to the efforts of the innovative website mysendoff.com, there is now a free Facebook app called “Giving Means Living” that will raise awareness of the importance of organ donations. The “Giving Means Living” app allows Facebook members to document and share their organ donation wishes with family and friends.

According to donatelife.net, nearly 90% of North Americans support organ donation, but only 30% actually take the necessary steps to agree to it and document their wishes. With the new “Giving Means Living” app people now have an easy way to express their organ donation wishes to Facebook friends and the app also offers links to organ donor registration sites in North America.

Colin Firth, founder of mysendoff.com, observed “Giving Means Living” is designed to get people thinking, communicating and encouraging them to commit to donating their organs so that others may live. If we can help even one person waiting for an organ donation or eliminate the waiting list then we believe our efforts will be worthwhile."

Explaining why the app was developed Firth says, "We decided to add our efforts to organ donation awareness after pop music star Justin Bieber and NFL Quarterback Tom Brady recently lent their voices to help friends in need of organ donations. We felt that the power and reach of Facebook could also be used to help build awareness of such a critical and important issue.”

The "Giving Means Living" app is an easy to use social contract. Facebook members simply click on the app and choose which organs they wish to donate and click to post on their Wall. The "Giving Means Living" donation instructions will be displayed on the member's Wall and shared with Facebook friends.

Every person can save up to 10 lives with their organ donor agreement, which is essentially a gift of life to others. Notable celebrities who have gone on to lead productive lives after receiving organ donations include Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs, baseball great Mickey Mantle, comedian George Lopez and millions of other North Americans who are now living because of others' giving.

Mysendoff.com hopes that by making the "Giving Means Living" app available to Facebook's 175 million North American users, they will choose to engage, help reduce and ideally eliminate the organ donor waiting list. The first step is to communicate and share their organ donation wishes with family and friends.

To schedule interviews with mysendoff.com founder Colin Firth, contact him at cfirth@mysendoff.com or (705) 688-2339. Skype interviews are available.

More information on the "Giving Means Living" campaign and Facebook app can be found at https://apps.facebook.com/giving_means_living/

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Mysendoff.com will help you create your own personalized life celebration and funeral sendoff. Learn, create and share your choices including music, photos, ceremony, and legal issues such as organ donation.

“You Have the Power to Donate Life – to become an organ and tissue donor Sign-up today!
Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

New Zealand, register at Organ Donation New Zealand

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