A few days ago I read an article on my Facebook feed about a young women, Lucy Hill, injured in Thailand. Lucy is 21 years old, from Bury and suffered a broken pelvis and brain haemorrhage when a car collided with her moped in Chiang Mai. She is in desperate need of a rare blood type, A Negitive.
I quite often see facebook appeals and think social media is a fantastic place to share information and spread the word when someone is in need.
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Why the Lucy Hill Blood Appeal caught my attention. The reason this particular appeal caught my attention, I have A Negative blood. But I instantly felt helpless, not only do I live in London, but I'm 5 and half months pregnant and unable to give blood, until 6 weeks after I give birth. A Negative blood in Thailand is very rare and only 1% of the population have negative blood type.
I'm following the online appeal with close interest, and it's with great reflief that I can see Lucy is out of intermediate danger. Reading through the comments on facebook and twitter, people all over the world with A Negative blood are offering to help where they can.
Reports stated there were qeues of people lining up outside the hospital in Thailand to give blood.
The appeal started when Lucy's friend and travelling buddy Lauren Hall posted an appeal on Trip Advisor, this then spread to other social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter. I spotted it when a English friend of mine, living in Thailand shared the post on Facebook (Thanks Zoe!). There is also a fundraising page set up on Fundrazer to help Lucy get the best care she can. Lauren has also asked people to contact her on +61 484 346 507 or through Facebook.
Social Media can be a very powerful tool and can very quickly and easily reach a global audience without the need to use traditional media and news outlets, I'll continue to watch this appeal and hope that Lucy will be home soon, safe and sound.
