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Payson woman has Facebook status to thank for transplant
Posted: 05.14.2012 at 3:24 PM
Brooke Hasch

Brooke Hasch is a KHQA This Morning co-host for KHQA.

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Jo Ann had played a year-long waiting game just to get on the transplant waiting list. So when it finally happened, her husband, John, put the message out in every way he could.  / Brook Hasch
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PAYSON, ILL. -- Jo Ann Griffin owes her life to a Facebook post.

Six months ago, she was living life on dialysis, waiting for a new kidney.

Jo Ann had played a year-long waiting game just to get on the transplant waiting list. So when it finally happened, her husband, John, put the message out in every way he could. It was in a Facebook post dated June 26, 2011 that he wrote, "Jo Ann's still looking for a kidney donor. She would like to talk to you."

Within a matter of days, the Payson couple got a reply, coincidentally, from a woman originally from Payson. Dusty Smeltser and her husband were tested within days to see if either would be a match.

"I was just shocked. I could not believe that somebody would give up a part of their body so that I could have a better life," Jo Ann said.

Remarkably, both Dusty and her husband were a positive match for Jo Ann.

"If I'm going to be a donor, why not do it now while I'm alive and let someone else benefit from it enjoy their life now," Dusty said.

On December 27, 2011, Dusty gave Jo Ann a belated, but long-awaited Christmas present, the gift of life.

"She's my angel on earth," Jo Ann said.

Just this month. more than 100,000 Facebook users have signed up to be organ donors thanks to a new feature on Facebook that makes it easier to register. By clicking the "Life Event" tab in your timeline, you can tell everyone you're a registered donor. The tab will expand to several options. Click on "Health and Wellness." From there, click on "Organ Donor." At this point, you can register as a donor by adding the date you officially registered, a story behind why and where you live, all of which are optional.

Do you know someone who's lived through an organ donation? Or, maybe you're a registered organ donor? Share your story below or on our Facebook page here.

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