Justin Bieber boosts organ donor registrations

Justin Bieber has been hailed a hero after sparking a dramatic increase in organ donor registrations in his native Canada.

The pop star urged his millions of Twitter.com followers to sign up to The Trillium Gift of Life Network after Ottawa woman Helene Campbell reached out to him for help.

The 20 year old, who is currently waiting for a lung transplant in Toronto, sent Bieber a message on the social networking site asking him to encourage his Canadian fans to join the cause.

Bieber retweeted her plea on Saturday (21Jan12) and told her, "You have amazing strength. I got u (sic)," before asking fans to "help spread the word... be an organ donor".

Bosses at the life-saving donor centre reported on Tuesday (24Jan12) that they have been flooded with more than 1,000 new online registrations since Bieber made his appeal.

A statement on their Facebook.com page reads, "Thanks to Helene, her team, and all the Bielibers (sic) out there! If you didn't believe in the power of Twitter before..."