First pitch shows social media can be used for good

As much as we may despise how much social media can be used for bad purposes, it is worth remembering that our constant checking of Facebook or Snapchat can pay dividends too. That was made clear Sunday afternoon at Miller Park, just before the Brewers took down the Chicago Cubs. That is when a healthy Lenny Zwieg of Elkhorn, Wisconsin and a woman named Emily Nowak of Marathon walked to the pitcher’s mound together to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. But this first pitch had more meaning than most. It was a year earlier that Zwieg was at a Brewers game wearing not a jersey, but a T-shirt with big lettering that read “Share Your Spare” on the front and on the back were the words “Father of 3 needs kidney.” Zwieg was in need of a kidney after years of dialysis. Someone sitting near him took a picture of his shirt, and that picture was later seen by Nowak. It turned out she was a match for Zwieg, but her kidney was too small. However she was able to donate her kidney to another man, whose friend then donated to Zwieg. The November surgery was a success, and now Zwieg can again wear a Brewers jersey to the game, rather than a T-shirt advertising his need of a kidney. Throwing out the first pitch together was the icing on the cake. The recipients of their pitches, crouched behind home plate, were the doctors that performed the transplant surgeries. It is gratifying to see that while much of our social media feeds are filled with hate, every once in a while it can help people make a live-saving connection.