In need of a kidney? Facebook might help

People are using Facebook these days for a lot more than looking at friends' photos or playing addictive word games. Facebook and other social media sites are quickly becoming a go-to place to find a generous person with a kidney to spare.

Damon Brown, 38, found a kidney on Facebook after telling his story on a page the Seattle dad created under the name, "Damon Kidney." His friends and family forwarded the link to everyone they knew and on Jan. 3 a woman his wife has known for years, but not someone they consider a close family friend, will be giving him a kidney.

"She said it wasn't really for me," Brown said. "It was for my kids, because they deserve to have a dad around."

Brown's story is not unique, said April Paschke, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit organization United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) that manages the nation's organ transplant system for the federal government.

"We see more and more people matched up by social media," she said. "It's an extension of the way we communicate. Before we found the Internet, people found other ways: through a church bulletin, word of mouth or an advertisement even."

This past year, a Michigan man also found a kidney donor on Facebook, and a Florida woman found one through Craigslist.

Damon Brown admits he was a bit embarrassed to publicly ask for help since he had kept his illness pretty quiet except for telling close friends and family.

He was on the official transplant list and had started mobile dialysis through Northwest Kidney Centers but Brown was seeing his health deteriorate - he was constantly tired and achy. He couldn't sit on the bed to tell bedtime stories to 5-year-old Julian and 3-year-old Theo because he had to stay close to his dialysis machine.

"I'm a strong guy, but I would have to say, it's been rough this year," he said. Brown had put himself on the long wait list for a kidney from a deceased donor, knowing he would have to wait at least three years before he was called.

After one particularly difficult visit with his doctor, Damon and his wife, Bethany, decided to create the Facebook page, which has attracted more than 1,400 friends.

A few weeks ago, after the transplant was approved and scheduled, Brown posted the good news to his Facebook friends. More than 300 people responded: "Whoo hoo....what a great Christmas present," wrote Kelly L. Hallissey. "This is awesome!! Praying for you and your family for positive news and a great way to begin 2012!" wrote Brenda Tomtan.

Some people may not be aware that kidney and liver donations can come from living donors.

In 2010, 16,800 kidney transplants were performed in the U.S., of which 6,277 came from living donors, according to UNOS. An average of 46 kidney transplants take place each day in this country, while another 13 people who have been waiting for a kidney die each day. About 90,000 are on the transplant list right now.

Read More: CBS