There are countless reasons to be cynical and pessimistic about the world these days, and even jaded about the "power of the internet" to make a real impact. But then there are stories like Lucas's that can inspire others and even renew our faith in the general awesomeness of people.
If you are not already familiar with the story, two days ago, ironyx posted in /r/assistance asking for help with his girlfriend's sister's son, whose family needed financial assistance to take their 3-year-old son, Lucas, to Duke University for an operation for a "1 in 1 million" immune system disease. Other subreddits including /r/trees & /r/atheism got behind the cause, and in less than 12 hours redditors raised over $30,000 and helped the family reach their fundraising goal! Lucas's dad (and soon to be proud owner of a reddit tattoo) did an IAMA last night, and said, "Thank you all again for your incredible kindness. I can't even begin to convey our gratitude."
But, reddit let's not stop there. There are other kids and adults who need bone marrow transplants, just like Lucas does. You can help by registering with National Marrow Donor Foundation at BeTheMatch.org and becoming a potential bone marrow donor. Register to be a Marrow Donor today.
In addition to a history of some noteworthy altruism, reddit has an amazing collection of altruistic subreddits like /r/assistance including /r/RandomActsofChristmas, /r/RandomActsofKindness, /r/RandomActsofCookies, /r/RandomActsofCoffee, /r/Random_Acts_of_Pizza, /r/RandomActsOfGaming, /r/HelpIt, /r/Free, /r/TodayIgave, /r/Favors, /r/HomeworkHelp, and /r/iNeedaFavor. The moderators of these subreddits do an amazing amount of work and have a very difficult job dealing with verification, trolls, scams, etc. They deserve the credit for making both big and small acts of kindness like this even possible. The community also deserves a lot of credit for helping with responsible verification. So be careful, be skeptical, but also don't forget how much good is possible. To quote Lucas's dad "I guess the biggest surprise or thing I didnt realize was what a strong sense of community there is on reddit. I consider it a place now, rather than just a website." reddit, you truly are an amazing place.
Thank you, reddit, for rallying around this family's story, thank you mods for facilitating, and thank you, Lucas, for being a "gloriously radiant beam of light." When you are old enough, your reddit Platinum™ account will be waiting for you.
