When something on the internet goes viral, it might entertain, enrage or engage in some other way before viewers move on quickly to another thing. 

The occasional social media post that captures broad attention might inspire others to action, but rare are those that help save a person’s life.

Keith Blythe benefited in just that way, though, when a Facebook post by his daughter late last year set in motion a chain of events that led to Blythe receiving a kidney transplant last month.

A Russellville resident, Blythe suffers from polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary condition in which clusters of cysts develop within the kidneys, impairing their ability to function.

Complications from the disease can include high blood pressure, growth of cysts in the liver, an aneurysm in the brain or renal failure, according to information from the Mayo Clinic website.

Blythe has lived with the condition for several years, and in 2005 he experienced kidney failure that required him to undergo the removal of both his kidneys. He was placed on dialysis for several weeks until a family friend was able to donate a healthy kidney later that year.

“I think of dialysis as another whole sickness in itself,” Blythe said. “The body gets so sick, when you have kidney failure it affects every organ in your body. If you don’t do something about it you can go downhill pretty daggone quick.”

Blythe made a quick recovery after the initial surgery and remained healthy for the next 10 years, until he developed complications in October that anti-rejection medication was unable to address.

The transplanted kidney failed, Blythe had to go back on dialysis and he had to prepare for another transplant.

At Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Blythe met with a transplant team that would educate him on the procedure. 

“When we were there, the nurses said … you wouldn’t believe how many people have gotten a transplant thanks to social media,” Blythe said.

Blythe and his daughter, Allison Blythe, went out for lunch in Bowling Green last fall, and it was then that they decided Allison should post something on her Facebook page about her father’s condition and his need for a transplant.

‘I always wanted to do something in life that mattered’

On Oct. 29, Allison Blythe posted the Facebook update that would give her father a new lease on life.

In the post, she went into detail about her father’s condition, how it had been treated 10 years earlier and how it had just recently worsened.

Toward the end of the update, Allison Blythe put out a call for a kidney donor, listed her father’s blood type and encouraged people to visit the Vanderbilt Transplant Center’s website and fill out a form there to help find out whether they could be a matching donor.

“We believe miracles do happen and the power of prayer does work,” Allison Blythe wrote. “If you are willing to do this and are in good health, PLEASE fill out this form and help my dad.

Within 48 hours, the post had been shared by more than 200 other people on Facebook, Allison Blythe said.

“I was getting messages from people in Logan County who I had no clue who they were, asking what blood type is he and wanting to know how they could help,” she said. “It was crazy to see how many people were willing to do that.”

Keith Blythe’s aunt, Christi Farmer, shared the post on her Facebook page, along with another post by Allison Blythe on Nov. 9 that mentioned an upcoming surgery her father was to have to remove his skin cancer along with their ongoing search for a kidney donor with a matching blood type.

This second post was seen by Brittany Brogli, a Russelville resident who takes her daughter to the day care center where Farmer works.

Brogli said that immediately after reading the post she sent Farmer a text message that said she had a matching blood type and was willing to get tested to donate a kidney.

Farmer met Brogli the next day as when she came to pick up her daughter and asked her if she was sure about going forward.

“The year before, my cousin had a kidney transplant and I was going to (donate) for him, but his brother ended up being a perfect match,” Brogli said. “Maybe God was telling me to do that … I didn’t even hesitate.”

Though Farmer helped look after Brogli’s daughter, Brogli didn’t know Keith Blythe or any of his other relatives when she reached out, so she followed up with a Facebook message to Farmer that was also shared with Blythe’s mother on Nov. 14.

“Your family is probably wondering why would I do something like this for a man I have never met in my life,” Brogli wrote. “Well chances are if I ever needed an organ it would come from someone on a list of people I have never met either! I always wanted to do something in life that mattered.”

Brogli met with Blythe and his family on Thanksgiving at Federal Grove Bed and Breakfast in Auburn, operated by the family. From there, a bond was forged and later strengthened when Brogli went to have a blood test at Vanderbilt that determined that she was a perfect match to donate a kidney to Blythe.

Brogli and the Blythes got together again for Christmas dinner, and she soon became like family to them. 

Before long, she and Keith Blythe were soon traveling together to doctor visits ahead of the procedure.

“I have never seen a weakness in her at all,” Keith Blythe said. “She was bound and determined to do this … . I’ve asked her many times before (the surgery) and since, do you have any regrets and she says ‘not one minute.’ ”

Transplant and after

The surgery was scheduled for March 10 at Vanderbilt.

That morning, Brogli shared the Facebook post from Farmer that had originally been written by Allison Blythe. Brogli detailed the visits with doctors, a psychologist and a donor advocate, along with the X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, glucose tolerance tests and other measures performed in preparation for the surgery.

For all of that work, Brogli maintained that her decision to help was easy.

“I’m a daddy’s girl, and this man needs to live to see his little girl walk down the aisle,” Brogli said. “The morning of the surgery, I was nervous but after that, no, I was in a good mood.”

Brogli and Blythe were released from the hospital two days later, and have remained in good health. 

“She was really calm about it all and a tough cookie for sure,” Allison Blythe said. “She’s a one-of-a-kind person, that’s for sure. It’s just crazy to see her willingness to do something like this.”

Blythe continues to monitor his condition, while Brogli helps from time to time at Federal Grove. The two lived within a couple miles of one another, but did not have occasion to meet until a Facebook post by Blythe’s daughter crossed the right pair of eyes.

“I just hope things like this open eyes for other people so that they’ll say, ‘I can do this and still live a full life,’ ” Keith Blythe said.

— Follow courts reporter Justin Story on Twitter @jstorybgdailynews or visit bgdailynews.com.