Birmingham marketing agency's four-year social media search finds kidney donor for Detroit-area woman with Alport syndrome

A Birmingham digital marketing agency spent four years running a pro bono social media campaign to find a kidney donor for a woman with Alport syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that can cause progressive kidney disease, hearing loss, and vision problems.

The campaign began in spring 2022 after Lori Jo Vest, managing partner and owner of PopSpeed Digital Marketing, received a LinkedIn message from a woman named Jo who needed a transplant and had no website or social media presence devoted to the search.

PopSpeed agreed to take her on as a pro bono project. The agency researched the kidney donation process and gathered information from the National Kidney Foundation and American Kidney Fund. Web developer Ron Wingard built Hero4jo.com, and PopSpeed employee Molly Wagner produced graphics, wrote posts, and shared photos and stories from Jo's life.

Wagner and Jo met monthly to plan new posts and gather material. The campaign continued for four years without a donor.

"For four years I came into this as a marketing project every day and stayed because of Jo," Wagner said. "Showing up for her every month for four years has become one of the most meaningful things I've done."

Two people eventually stepped forward willing to donate. The first volunteer went through screening but was not a match for Jo. That person instead donated through the National Kidney Foundation's voucher program on Jo's behalf, giving her priority in being matched with another donor through the national registry.

A match arrived faster than expected. Although patients using the voucher program can wait three to six months, PopSpeed said a donor became available within weeks.

Jo received a kidney transplant June 5 and is recovering with what the company described as a positive prognosis.

"The day we heard someone had stepped forward to donate, we all cried," Wagner said.

The campaign also produced a friendship between Wagner and Jo. They discovered a shared love of travel and plan to visit South America next year once Jo is medically cleared for international travel.

PopSpeed is developing a digital kit for kidney patients that will include a roadmap based on Jo's campaign. The agency expects to complete it by the end of the year.