A New York mother has appealed to Facebook to help her find a kidney.
Elaine De Leon has a chronic kidney disease, and the organs are only functioning at 12 per cent. She hopes to find a match through the social network.
De Leon has three children, Emilie, 9, Ellie, 6, and Elijah, 2 months. She fears what will happen to them if she passes away.
"Without me, they all go their separate ways," De Leon told the New York Daily News. "I want them to grow up as a family." She also said that her children do not want to consider the fact that their mother may not be around for much longer.
"My eldest daughter gets mad whenever anyone talks about it — and I get it, she doesn't want to think I'm going to die," De Leon explained.
The 35-year-old's family in the Dominican Republic and her boyfriend, Ian Valerio, are not a match. She hopes that one of the millions of people on Facebook will help her.
"I need YOU to save my life," she wrote on a community page. "Would you be willing to save me??? Would you please take a blood test and see if you would be compatible to me. You see I need a kidney donor ASAP. I want to live and I need your help."
De Leon was diagnosed in 2010, and her physician, Dr. Anthony Valeri of Columbia University Medical Center, said her condition is severe. If she does not receive a kidney in three months she will have to undergo dialysis, which could extend her lifes by 10 to 20 years.
Mayo Clinic Kidney and Transplant Programme Surgical Director Dr Mikel Prieto explained the serious need for organ donation.
"Unfortunately, we don't have enough kidneys for everyone and the number of people in need is growing," he said. "Depending on where a patient lives, he or she can be on a waiting list for anywhere from two to eight years and would receive dialysis in the meantime."
