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By Brian Wacker
Social media can be a powerful tool—see the recent firestorm over slow play and it leading to the PGA Tour saying it will review its pace-of-play policy. On a far more important note, PGA Tour veteran Jonathan Byrd is hoping the power of social media can help his ailing mother.

The 41-year-old five-time tour winner took to Twitter and Instagram on Monday night seeking an organ donor for his mother, Jo, who is fighting kidney disease.

 

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Friends I’m reaching out with the hope of finding someone who might be able to help my family. My mom lives in Columbia South Carolina. She has a kidney disease and is in need of a kidney transplant. Her best possible option is to find a living donor with 0+ or 0- blood type. Up to this point, she’s had 12 friends and family come forward to volunteer to donate their kidney but unfortunately no one has been approved a match yet. This would greatly improve her quality of life. Please consider sharing her story or becoming a living donor yourself, for my mom or for someone else. If you’re interested, please contact MUSC hospital in Charleston South Carolina at (843)792-5097 asking for the donator coordinator. Or contact Augusta University hospital at (706)721-8560. The donator coordinator is Shelby Adams. Thank you for listening and have a great day ? – JByrd

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“Her best possible option is to find a living donor with O positive or O negative blood type,” Byrd said in a video. “Up to this point, she’s had about 12 friends or family come forward to volunteer to donate their kidney and unfortunately no one’s been approved yet. This would greatly improve her quality of life.”

Byrd also asked followers to consider becoming an organ donor and said that if anyone is interested in helping, to contact MUSC Hospital in Charleston, S.C., or Augusta University Hospital and ask for the donation coordinator.

Byrd, who is playing on past champion status and whose best result this year was a fourth-place finish at the Corales Puntacana Championship in March, lost his father, Jim, to brain cancer in 2009. His former caddie, Chuck Hoersch, passed away in 2012 from pancreatic cancer.

Potential donours can reach MUSC Hospital at (843) 792-1414, or Augusta University Hospital at (706) 721-2273.