Case Study / Montreal Children’s Hospital

Organ donation is a very important issue, but it’s not top of mind for most people. For 15 year-old Vincent Lambert and his family, however, organ donation is the number one thing they think about: they’ve spent the last eight months in the Montreal Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit waiting for a heart donor. When Vincent was just three months old, a virus attacked his heart and his health has been declining ever since. In the spring of 2011, he entered full-blown heart failure. Since September 18th, 2011, Vincent has been kept alive by a Berlin heart, a mechanical device that beats in place of his own heart.

He is patiently waiting for the news that a heart donor has been found so he can undergo a much-anticipated heart transplant operation. And while he is on the top of the pan-Canadian transplant list, it doesn’t make waiting any easier. The hospital is a tough place for a teenage boy to spend Christmas, birthdays and special occasions.

With the help and support of her small team of colleagues, Pamela Toman, a Public Relations and Communications Officer for the hospital, decided to try social media as a way to share Vincent’s story and increase awareness about the importance of organ donation. Pamela was able to quickly craft a social media strategy that focused on Vincent’s story. The hashtag #Aheart4Vincent/#UncoeurpourVincent was created and the campaign got off to a great start.

Using Radian6, Pamela has been able to track the hospital’s efforts, find influencers and gauge

the reach of the campaign. In just a few short days Pamela saw the campaign gain momentum with thousands of mentions, several stories on national news broadcasts, and a host of support from well-known personalities including star players from the Montreal Canadiens, members of Simple Plan, Ben Mulroney and Ronnie Magro from Jersey Shore.

“We are so excited and pleased to see that our message is reaching people across Canada, and more importantly that it is resonating with the public,” says Pamela. “We want people to really stop and think about organ donation, and ensure that they make their wishes known to their families.”

Social media has been a great tool to raise awareness about organ donation, and it has also given Vincent the chance to connect with other people who have gone through the same experience. Over the past few weeks, he has heard from several people who have received heart transplants. With a newfound love for social media, Vincent has created his own Twitter handle @VincentLamber15 and is tweeting up a storm from his hospital bed.

To learn more about how you can help share Vincent’s story, visit The Montreal Children’s Hospital’s website or Twitter page and take a few moments to find out how you can help other children like Vincent by becoming an organ donor.

The Montreal Children’s Hospital uses social media to get people to sign on the dotted line.

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