After teasing us on Monday, Facebook"s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed the new feature for the social networking site that he claims will help save lives. In a press release, co-written by Zuckerberg and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, it is revealed that a Facebook user can now show that he or she is an organ donor on their Timeline profile.
The article states over 114,000 people in the US are waiting for a heart, kidney or liver transplant, and millions more are waiting for a similar organ donation worldwide. Many people die each day because their needed organ is not available. Zuckerberg and Sandberg write:
Medical experts believe that broader awareness about organ donation could go a long way toward solving this crisis. And we believe that by simply telling people that you"re an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role.
The new feature also allows Facebook users to tell their own personal story of how and why they decided to become an organ donor. If a Facebook user is interested in becoming a donor, the website has set up a way for someone to find out how to sign up for their state or national organ donor registry.
Image via Facebook