This week, Baylor Scott & White Health live-tweeted a heart transplant via #HeartTXLive. The Twitter stream follows the story of “Jane,” a North Texas mom in her 30’s, living with cardiomyopathy since birth who found out Monday morning a donor match was found. By Monday evening, the entire country heard Jane’s story and watched as she received the gift of life through organ donation. Social media buzzed, and traditional news outlets began sharing the event, as well.

I was glued to the feed, and going back through #HeartTXlive again is just as enthralling and inspirational. Not only did Baylor Scott & White Health honor an organ donor and family giving such a precious gift, but they gave Jane a new chance at life while highlighting a complex surgery, team, and process. They pulled back the curtain on transplant surgery and showed the world what incredible care happens everyday without millions of people in concert. Individuals from all over social media chimed in with #ImADonor, and Texas organ donation organizations saw a 30% increase in residents registering as donors.

Those aren’t numbers. A 30% increase in registered organ donors means hundreds of people in need have greater chances of having a match. That’s the gift of life. And it all came from one person who registered as an organ donor and a family who chose to give through their grief. What a legacy.

Thank you to Jane and her family – for their courage in sharing their story in such a vulnerable moment; to Baylor Scott & White Health – for forward-thinking and using social media as a powerful, altruistic tool; and to Jane’s donor/donor family and organ donors and families everywhere – for giving life.

If you’re not an organ donor and want to give life to others, register with your state and let your family know your wishes.