Students Use Social Media to #SaveRichard

It started with a tweet.

By Monday at 10:40 p.m., #SaveRichard was the number three worldwide trending topic on Twitter. By Tuesday, the cast of The Buried Life had joined hundreds of people on the campus in support of Richard Bland, a KSU student in need of a kidney transplant.

In a social media movement led by Bland's friends and Delta Tau Delta fraternity brothers, thousands of people have taken to Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets to support the 19-year-old grad.

Bland, who has suffered from kidney problems since he was a child, told supporters at Tuesday's rally that his kidney is currently operating at 20 percent.

"My kidney's dying. It's petty much on its last leg," Bland said, adding that it could take up to a year to find a donor due to his rare blood type.

Bland told crowd members he was leaving the movies with his girlfriend when he received a call telling him to check Twitter.

"Dude, I don't have a Twitter," he said. Bland created an account and saw the #SaveRichard hashtag.

"I was blown away. It was insane. I did not know this many people out there cared about me this much," Bland said.

"And it's heartwarming and it's inspiring to see the community of Kennesaw, Greek life, my brothers and just everyone just coming together and trying to help me out, and I really appreciate it," he said.

According to the Marietta Daily Journal, fraternity member Cody Dewrell contacted The Buried Life cast members, who already had an appearance scheduled for Tuesday evening at KSU, about participating in a rally to help find Bland a donor.

The MTV show consists of four friends who travel the country attempting to check items off their bucket list while helping and inspiring others to achieve their own goals.

The Buried Life cast responded in a tweet: “Kennesaw-we hear you.”

Following the rally, cast members and supporters gathered at  to help raise funds for Bland.

Community members have also donated to the cause by visiting http://www.crowdrise.com/saverichard. As of Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., $2,110 of a $7,000 goal had been raised.

Take a look at the Storify story above for a brief glimpse into how the #SaveRichard movement has developed via different social media outlets.

Check back in with Patch for updates on the story.

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