Fernando Moreno has been on dialysis for about two years, fighting an “unbearable” wait for a kidney that could save his life. His small circle of contacts meant his chances were tied to slowly climbing the national transplant list.
The Great Social Experiment
In May, a pilot called the Great Social Experiment began at three Pennsylvania hospitals. Fifteen patients, including Moreno, were paired with volunteers called “angel advocates.” The program, launched by Los Angeles filmmaker David Krissman, uses social-media outreach to spread each patient’s story far beyond their immediate network.
Angel Advocates: A New Approach
Angel advocates are Good Samaritan strangers who leverage their own online contacts to share a patient’s video and message. The goal is to create a “snowball” effect, encouraging viewers to consider a living donation. Krissman explained, “We know how this has always been done, and we’re trying to put that on steroids and really get them the help that they need.”
Voices from the Front
Moreno, 50, said, “This process is great. I’m just hoping there will be somebody out there that’s willing to take a chance.” He has watched his own father die of kidney failure at 65, which fuels his urgency. Meanwhile, former Penn State linebacker Ahmad Collins, 50, shares a similar story: “They can be a superhero, so to speak. They can have the opportunity to save somebody’s life.”
Krissman’s Motivation
Krissman’s own battle with a chronic illness about twenty years ago left him debilitated for more than a year. He noted, “It gave me my life back. And I never forgot what it’s like to be chronically sick.” After producing a kidney-transplant podcast, he recruited four patients through Facebook, helping two of them find donors. A second pilot in North Carolina matched all three patients with living donors before it ended last year.
Funding and Support
The Gift of Life Donor Program, the organ-procurement network for eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware, backed the pilot with a grant of more than $100,000 from its foundation. This financial support allowed the program to identify five patients each at Temple University Hospital, UPMC-Harrisburg, and Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Early Outcomes
According to Ryan Ihlenfeldt, director of clinical transplant services at Temple, two of the five patients at that hospital have found donors, and one is preparing for surgery. At UPMC-Harrisburg, one of the five patients has already undergone a transplant. No donors have yet been matched for the five patients at Jefferson.
Expert Insights
Gift of Life chief executive Richard Hasz Jr. said, “This is the first of its kind that I’m aware of. That’s why, I think, the foundation was so interested in doing it-studying it and hopefully publishing it-so we can create that blueprint, if you will, for the future.”
Becca Brown, director of transplant services at UPMC-Harrisburg, added, “There’s potential for this to really snowball. I’m anxious to see what happens and if we can roll it out to other patients.”
Temple’s Ihlenfeldt echoed, “What David’s trying to do is coalesce a network of support around these patients who are sharing the story for them.”
Stories of Hope
Angel advocate Holly Armstrong, a former living donor, said, “Some people might just keep scrolling. But there might be someone like me, where they stop scrolling and say, ‘This boy needs a kidney.'”
Information-technology worker Francis Beaumier, who donated a kidney and part of his liver to a double living-donor pair, called the program “a great little way for everyone to make a small difference.”
The Numbers Behind the Need
About 90,000 people in the United States are on a kidney-transplant list, and most of the roughly 28,000 kidneys transplanted last year came from deceased donors. Living donations numbered about 6,400 that same year. Thousands of patients die each year while waiting for an organ.
Living donors typically receive a better match, reducing rejection risk, and allow surgery to be scheduled at a time convenient for all parties. On average, living-donor kidneys last longer than those from deceased donors. The National Kidney Foundation requires donors to be at least 18, though some centers set the minimum at 21. Potential donors undergo health screening to exclude uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, or smoking.
Looking Ahead
The pilot’s early results suggest the angel-advocate model can accelerate donor matching for patients with limited social networks. If the program’s data confirm the “snowball” effect, it could become a blueprint for larger-scale efforts across the country.
Key Takeaways
- Fernando Moreno, a 50-year-old dialysis patient, is part of a 15-patient pilot that pairs patients with social-media advocates.
- Early outcomes show two donors found at Temple and one transplant at UPMC-Harrisburg.
- The program, backed by a $100,000 grant from Gift of Life, aims to create a scalable model for living-donor matching.
The Great Social Experiment illustrates how new outreach strategies can bring hope to patients who might otherwise wait years for a kidney. As more stories emerge, the program may redefine how living kidney donations are pursued nationwide.
