Twitter Boosts CNN Reporter's Fight to Save Her Brother's Life
Veronica
De La Cruz is turning to the power of social media giant Twitter in a
bid to rally support to overcome healthcare red tape and save the life
of her 27-year old brother Eric, in dire need of a heart transplant.
Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) -- Thanks in large part to Twitter, a one-woman fight to
get her severely ill brother a much-needed heart transplant has turned
into a major grassroots campaign throughout the social media community,
applying pressure on government authorities to prevent a tragedy
resulting from a flawed domestic healthcare system.
Eric De La Cruz, with his sister Veronica
Veronica De La Cruz, a former CNN anchor and reporter based in New
York City, has experienced first-hand the influence and freedom of
speech which such a position offers. Yet, she found herself to be as
exposed to the flaws of the healthcare system as anyone else when her
brother's condition became life-threatening.
Her brother, Eric De La Cruz, 27, is dying in Nevada. He is
suffering from severe dilated cardiomyopathy and needs a heart
transplant immediately. His heart, weakened and enlarged, is now
incapable of pumping blood efficiently. The decreased organ function
also severely limits his kidney function and his creatinine levels are
high, all which result in fluid retention. The diuretic-type
medications which he is currently taking are no longer working. Making
matters worse, he cannot get health insurance because of a pre-existing
condition.
Eric's young age, however, makes him a great candidate for a heart
transplant. Unfortunately, because of where he lives, he is unable to
get his name on the transplant list.
He lives in Nevada, where there are no transplant centers. And
because he has Nevada Medicaid, authorities will not put him on a list
to have a heart transplant in another state. To the friends and family
of Eric De La Cruz, it certainly appears to be a very flawed system.
Eric's case is pending in the Nevada courts, scheduled to be heard
in a year - time he certainly does not have. The reality is that Eric
isn't asking or expecting more from the Federal program than if he had
simply lived in a different state.
Veronica De La Cruz has been tirelessly lobbying Sen. Harry Reid and
the rest of Nevada's Congressional delegation, as well as the
Department of Health and Human Services, in a one-woman attempt to
bring attention to her brother's plight, but with few results.
Now, in what may be a last resort, De La Cruz has turned to social
media network Twitter. There, her plea regarding her brother's plight
has engaged the interest of thousands of fellow social media
enthusiasts, including "The Expert", who was instrumental in a
successful Twitter-based effort to locate a missing teenager last
month. In all, hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers have likely
been made aware of Eric's case, which appears to be helping to attract
some of the biggest names on Twitter to support the cause.
Collectively, their efforts - multiplied through social media
networking - may put new pressure on authorities on Eric's behalf. If
some in state and federal government have been slow to move on De La
Cruz' pleas earlier in her battle to get Eric a life-saving transplant,
they very well may be stepping up their action soon now that hundreds
of thousands of tweets are zooming through the blogosphere.
But the De La Cruz family still needs a lot of help from the public.
Donations to assist defray the projected medical costs of Eric's
treatment are being accepted at www.veronicadelacruzonline.com and www.lifegiverproject.org,
through a project organized by the Storey Dreams Foundation. More
information about Eric De La Cruz' battle for a heart transplant can be
found online at those websites and at www.weloveeric.com. On Twitter, you can follow developments at http://www.twitter.com/VeronicaDLCruz or by simply following @VeronicaDLCruz.
Additional details at the following blogs, portions of which contributed to this press release:
Huffington Post Blog
Writechic Press Blog, Article 1
Writechic Press Blog, Article 2
Writechic Press Blog, Article 3
Out of respect for Eric and his family's privacy, please direct media
inquiries and requests for further information to Tim Hedrich at
847-724-4100.
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