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Facebook saved me from my husband

Many women are abused daily by their partners, and for most going to the police and laying a charge is the only real help that's available to them.

Now, with the proliferation of social media, it has become another way for people in distress to get help.

In January 2014 a woman called Susann Stacy of Kentucky in the USA turned to her Facebook profile as an only resort in a desperate attempt to get help after her husband hit her with his gun.

Susann had been talking on her cellphone in the bathroom but, upon leaving, she was confronted by her pistol-wielding husband, Donnie Stacy.

He asked her who she had been speaking to and, when she didn't answer him, he brutally beat her with his handgun, reports WKYT.

Read: Domestic abuse is often lasting

Mr. Stacy then ripped the phone line from the wall, with no cell reception either, Susann was unable to call for help.

Fearing the worst, Susann turned to the internet for help.

She posted a photo of her battered, bleeding face to Facebook over her WiFi network with the caption "Help please anyone."

Within a few minutes, several of her Facebook friends had seen the photo and contacted the local police. 

Sheriffs deputies arrived quickly and arrested Donnie Stacy, the weapon was found by their son's tire swing. 

Susann Stacy's Facebook post

face

Read
: Outed on Facebook

This isn't the only instance of social media potentially saving lives.

Ben Silber had a disease that disfigured his body causing him to become a recluse. While browsing Reddit he saw a photo that someone had posted of themselves which resembled the exact same symptoms as him.

One commenter added that it might be
Cushing's syndrome. Ben then did some research on the net and discovered that all of his symptoms matched those of the disease. His Endocrinologist confirmed that he had the disease and he has since had the tumour removed and is on the road to recovery.

Dan Wolley was in the midst of an earthquake that hit Haiti in 2011.He used an app on his phone which instructed him on how to stop the bleeding that he received from his injuries, thus saving his life.

Amit Gupta had leukaemia and desperately needed to find a bone marrow transplant donor. He blogged about it and the social media community subsequnetly went wild and found a donor for Amit.

Another story that took place in Johannesburg involved a carjacked victim's girlfriend using Twitter to save him. The high-jackers forced the victim into the boot of the car and drove off.

The victim texted his girlfriend who then tweeted for help as well as the car registration number. In less than an hour, the police were investigating the matter and were able to track the location of the vehicle and rescue him. 

As social media penetrates deeper and deeper into the fabric of society, so will we see more instances of it making a difference in the lives of those around us.

Read more:
Internet boosts cancer cure
Teens and internet addiction
Finding health info on the internet

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