Nine Inch Nails, Twitter, and Eric De La Cruz

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About a week ago, former CNN anchor (and current Internet correspondent) Veronica De La Cruz launched a Twitter campaign to try and help save her 27-year-old brother Eric’s life. (He is dying from a rare condition and needs a heart transplant to survive.

On Twitter, The Expert picked up on Eric’s cause, which in turn sent the issue up the quirky Twitter hierarchy to those who have hundreds of thousands of “followers,” i.e., the scale necessary to potentially make a difference in this young man’s tragic case.

I promised to update this story when I first wrote about it, and tonight, there is some genuinely good news. Until a couple days ago, very little money had been raised via Twitter on Eric’s behalf, according to The Expert. Maybe around $5,000. Probably this was because his sister’s initial emphasis was not on raising funds to defray the medical costs but on influencing Congress to intervene and get Eric on the list eligible to receive a heart transplant.

If anyone in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives has responded to date, I am not aware of it. It is questionable whether any Congressional staffs as yet consider Twitter a priority, since only one in twenty Americans even use the micro-blogging social media service.

But, as the De La Cruz family is learning, then there is the power of rock n roll. Trent Reznor, who is better known as Nine Inch Nails and who is currently on a revival tour, found out about Eric’s case and posted via Twitter and the Nin website an offer way too good to refuse.

Donate money to Eric’s cause and you can hang out backstage with Nine Inch Nails during their tour. Over the space of about 48 hours, according to my sources as well as posts on Twitter, the group has raised around a quarter million dollars to help Eric’s chances of obtaining his heart transplant.

Stay tuned. We will continue to monitor this story as an early indicator of Twitter’s power to do good, not necessarily via the old channels of power (Congress) but now, through the much more liberating channel of music.

Tags: Twitter, David Weir

In addition to serving as a BNET Media analyst/blogger, David Weir is a veteran journalist and the author of several books. Weir is a co-founder and vice-president of the Center for Investigative Reporting, as well as an editorial board member of The Nation.

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1

thedrich

05/22/09 | Report as spam

RE: Nine Inch Nails, Twitter, and Eric De La Cruz

David,

Great piece, as was your last one on Eric's situation. Your support in covering the story has been really important in spreading the news and rallying support.

Yesterday, and you should confirm this with her, I believe Veronica received a favorable ruling from a federal judge in NV regarding Eric's ability to be covered under federal medicare, allowing him to be moved out of state and evaluated by a transplant center. I believe Veronica was able to accelerate having his case appealed and heard (it was originally scheduled for a year from now) largely due to the efforts she started on Twitter. Local news coverage, initiated by bombardment from Twitter, and an onslaught of letters, emails and calls to the offices of state representatives eventually expedited the case greatly. Without help from media outlets such as yours, as well as the tireless efforts of many, many people on Twitter, to say nothing of the unwavering, steel will of his sister Veronica, Eric would probably not have had the opportunity to at least have a shot at his heart transplant. They still have a tremendous climb in front of them, and supporters like Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor (who were both attracted to the situation by Twitter and maximized promotion of their support through his 500,000+ followers) are making an unbelievable difference in their lives.

I agree that this effort illustrates perfectly the capacity for good that social media holds. Twitter at its best may be helping to save a life, while educating hundreds of thousands if not millions, on issues important to our country's health care system. And you played an important role as well, which is what social media is all about.

TH
2

ApparelBrando

05/22/09 | Report as spam

RE: Nine Inch Nails, Twitter, and Eric De La Cruz

That's fantastic, I hope for the best for Eric!

As for politicians on Twitter, I know that Sen. Bill Nelson from Florida does tweet a lot (or his staff does for him) as well as Gov. Charlie Christ of Florida, and I've had responses to tweets back to them, so some politicians are paying attention.
3

hotweir

05/22/09 | Report as spam

RE: Nine Inch Nails, Twitter, and Eric De La Cruz

Yes, TH, you are correct about the ruling, which I had yet confirmed by "press-time"...that may be a result of the political pressure initiated by Veronica and the Twitter storm. This really is, in real-time, an unprecedented series of events that -- as a long-time journalist and media critic -- utterly fascinates me. I must do another update later today, as the news unfolds. Thank you for your comment and also yours, ApparelBrando. It is wise for any politician to get involved with social media, imho. This is hardly a passing fad. More like the dawn of a new age.
4

bnetsucks2

05/22/09 | Report as spam

RE: Nine Inch Nails, Twitter, and Eric De La Cruz

"revival tour"
Funny.

For anyone who didn't get the joke: they've been touring almost constantly for the past few years and this is a goodbye tour.
5

thedrich

05/22/09 | Report as spam

RE: Nine Inch Nails, Twitter, and Eric De La Cruz

It should be noted that the struggle in this case does continue. Despite the Herculean effort involved in moving lawmakers into action on the medicare/disability appeal, and the monumental fund-raising effort started on Twitter and exponentially expanded by Nine Inch Nails and their fans, Eric is still fighting to get through even MORE red tape. UCLA Hospital administrators have been less than cooperative in recognizing Eric's right to treatment and accepting his newly granted medicare insurance as sufficient (this despite the growing donation fund amassed) and additional options to get him admitted to a transplant program for evaluation are being sought. Meanwhile, time continues to march on.

Anyone reading this should write, email or call their state lawmakers, notify their news media, and contact anyone they can at the highest level of government, the White House. Pres. Barack Obama has pledged to make fixing healthcare in this, the wealthiest country in the world, a priority. This is the perfect opportunity to prove it. If only the voters make their voices heard and ensure that Eric's plight is not overlooked. Every little bit helps and your email or call maybe the one which offers Eric the chance he deserves.

There is no more time to wait. If you are reading this, you must act now. http://www.weloveeric.com http://www.whitehouse.gov http://www.hhs.gov
6

hotweir

05/23/09 | Report as spam

RE: Nine Inch Nails, Twitter, and Eric De La Cruz

Thank you Thedrich for your suggestion, and thank you bnets2 for your sense of humor.