Pizzeria's Social Media Post Leads to Life-Saving Kidney Transplant
Popular social media platforms are often nothing but a massive wasteland. Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and TikTok typically feature snarky, hateful and profanity-filled posts about this or that topic. As you likely already know, people can get nasty rather quickly with one another when they can hide behind a keyboard.
Even when users are somewhat pleasant with one another, social media is usually where time and productivity go to die. It’s easy to get on Facebook or Instagram and scroll aimlessly, and end up wasting an hour or two looking at meaningless posts and tons of pictures. However, social media can sometimes be used for good, as one video posted on YouTube shows.
One man, Theo Alano, was informed by his doctors that he badly needed a new kidney. The clip mentions that he was experiencing “end-stage kidney failure.” Sadly, being on the waitlist, hoping for a kidney match, could mean years, and Theo needed one as soon as possible. So, he turned to social media to ask for help, specifically Instagram.
Theo admits that several times, he thought all hope was gone. But then something changed everything, and it ended with Theo getting his much-needed kidney transplant.
Theo’s friend, Mark, owns a popular Brooklyn pizzeria. His restaurant’s Instagram page has nearly 250,000 followers. Mark shared Theo’s post, bringing it to the attention of many more people. Then, someone responded to the post—a stranger, Rusty Rastello.
After talking it over with his fiancée, Rusty underwent the testing and discovered he was a match for Theo. Rusty lovingly donated a kidney to Theo, saving his life.
“It’s pretty amazing what he (Rusty) did,” Mark said. “It’s also nice to see something good come out of social media. If you need a kidney, DM me.”
1 Corinthians 16:14“Let all you do be done in love.”
This content originally appeared on GodTube.com; used with permission.
Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Good Morning America
Originally published February 18, 2025.