How Twitter Saved Lional's Life

Known as Jelly Roll throughout the NFL, Lional Dalton was a force to be reckoned with. For nine seasons he played on five teams throughout the National Football League, winning one Superbowl, and recognized as one of the best defensive tackles in the league. At his biggest, Lional weighed 315 pounds. 315 pounds working tirelessly for nine years on the football field took its toll on Lional’s health. Dalton was forced to retire after a spinal injury, but years later, his body started to suffer after decades of playing the game.

Lional started to suffer from high blood pressure, arthritis and kidney issues. In January 2020, Lional was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure. He was immediately put on dialysis, going three times a week for hours each day. After 14 months of searching for a kidney, Lional hired NEU Marketing Group to help him find a kidney. The team immediately developed a strategic social media and public relations plan. Within days, Lional had over 1,000 followers on Twitter and had interviews with ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Good Morning America, Baltimore Ravens News, as well as dozens of local media, podcasts, and blogs. The strategy paid off, on August 21, 2021 a kidney was found for Lional and his life was saved, all due to an aggressive Twitter campaign. The entire strategy revolved around organ donation awareness as well, which was a win-win as well. Four people from Twitter made it all the way to the last few tests to become a donor to Lional.

THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL STILL IN THE DATABASE TO BECOME KIDNEY DONORS SHOULD THE NEED COME UP!!! The Twitter campaign was a clear winner, it saved a man's life, raised awareness about the importance of organ donation, led many people to be tested for organ donation with four still on the list. It also led to Lional creating his new non-profit which directly benefits organ donors and recipients, JellyRoll Gift of Life.