Everyday People form a Campaign to Promote Organ Donation

Links for Life aims to put real faces, stories and families to the statistics seen in other organization's conventional literature and the like. They feel that sharing REAL stories and circumstances is a much more personal (and effective) way of showing the population that REAL people are terribly affected by the donor shortage... and that they are not just faceless numbers on a bar graph or waiting list somewhere. The campaign helps bring people together in support and friendship, as well as promote the cause. They do occasionally have online chat meetings for everyone to come together and periodically send out newsletters. If you would like information on becoming a registered donor, living donor or someone you know would like to be a part of the Links For Life Campaign, visit their site at http://www.LinksForLifeCampaign.com for contact information.

Albany, NY (PRWEB) December 31, 2004 -- July 2004, two women from New York state had a phone conversation - just as they have done thousands of times before. The women, Irma Woodard and Jennifer Herbs, are best friends and have been for over a dozen years. On this particular night, though, they talked about the serious condition Irma's niece, Cynthia Gallardo, was in.

Cynthia (only 25 years old) had been in kidney failure since her 16th birthday. Irma was terribly disheartened because her niece's condition had started taking a tremendous downward spiral in January of 2004. Because of this, Cynthia's mother (Lourdes Gallardo) had started to lose hope. Fearing for her daughter's life, Lourdes had informed Irma (who in turn told Jennifer) that she had started contacting her local media hoping to tell about Cynthia's fragile state - in hopes of finding someone willing to become a live kidney donor and save Cynthia.

Upon hearing this news, Jennifer (owner of Nvision Graphics) offered an idea to Irma. She suggested that she build a web page dedicated to Cynthia's story where Lourdes could direct those she contacted for further details. They all agreed that would be a wonderful way to keep spreading the news of Cynthia to others and http://www.donationforcynthia.com was born.

Networking and promoting the site came next - if there was to be any notice of it. In July 2004 Jen and Irma begun emailing Cynthia's favorite bands such as Default and Nickelback since Cynthia had already started to network with them in March of 2001. Cynthia's goal was to promote organ donation and form her own organization. When first contacted by Cynthia, Default and Nickelback immediately offered to help her in any way possible. Cynthia had enlisted the help of The Gainesville Sun Newspaper and Rocksolid promotions as well, in efforts to combine her two passions, music and organ donation. They also contacted local radio, newspapers and TV news reporters including Oprah. Irma even attended The Fuse Daily Download Show featuring Puddle of Mudd, in New York City , and was able to promote Cynthia's site on national TV. Default, Nickelback and later, Puddle of Mudd listed Cynthia's link on their official band websites.

Cynthia's site began to grow and change from a personal site for her story into the very early version of what is now http://www.linksforlifecampaign.com . Cynthia's dream was becoming a reality while she laid in her hospital bed fighting for her life. The responses have been positive and people want to help. Some have taken action to help make a difference by writing articles in their school papers and by listing Cynthia's link on their personal sites as well.

In August Todd Krampitz made national news with his Billboard plea for life. Irma emailed the family and asked if Cynthia's link could be listed on their site as they had gotten 200,000 plus hits and thousands of emails from people wanting to help. Todd's family immediately listed the link and invited any others who had a site to send their links as well. When http://www.donationforcynthia.com was listed on Todd's page http:///www.Toddneedsaliver.com , Cynthia's site begun to get 500 hits a day.

Many people in need of organ donations contacted Links For Life and they also had the same mission, to promote organ donation and to place faces to the statistics. Each week they are contacted by new linkers and they have become an extension of one another's families building friendships and offering support to one another.

When each "Linker" posts a reciprocal link to Links For Life Campaign AND each other, each person increases their site's exposure exponentially. Each person's media exposure and site traffic helps promote everyone in the campaign because of our unique linking technique. Everyone benefits from coming together with a common goal and together we are stronger and have a louder "voice" when trying to make a difference. Links For Life is completely free.

Links for Life aims to put real faces, stories and families to the statistics seen in other organization's conventional literature and the like. They feel that sharing REAL stories and circumstances is a much more personal (and effective) way of showing the population that REAL people are terribly affected by the donor shortage... and that they are not just faceless numbers on a bar graph or waiting list somewhere.

The campaign helps bring people together in support and friendship, as well as promote the cause. They do occasionally have online chat meetings for everyone to come together and periodically send out newsletters.

Links For Life Campaign aims to promote organ donation by:

-showing the real people, stories and faces of those desperately in need of a life saving organ transplants because they are the ones directly affected by the tremendous shortage of donations.

-providing useful information, appropriate links and other convenient resources.

-networking with other people and organizations who share the common goal of promoting organ donation.

-continually searching for positive and effective ways to make organ donation a main stream topic - rather than an afterthought.

-providing a community for visitors and participants to voice their needs, concerns, questions and opinions for others to consider.

All in the hopes of:

-motivating the masses into giving the greatest gift of all... Life.

-making the Transplant Waiting List a distant memory - rather than distantly remembering those who were lost because it ever existed.

If you would like information on becoming a registered donor, living donor or someone you know would like to be a part of the Links For Life Campaign, visit their site at http://www.linksforlifecampaign.com for contact information.

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