Gus Meets with Young Man Raising Awareness on Marrow Donation |
On Wednesday, Gus met with Pat Pedraja, 13, in his Washington office to discuss his recent efforts to raise awareness about bone marrow donation. ![]() A young resident of Palm Harbor, Fla., Pedraja was diagnosed with Leukemia in March 2006 and has undergone intensive treatment for the disease. When he found out about the shortage of minority bone marrow donors, he put together "Driving for Donors." This effort took Pat across the United States in 2007, helping him to add 6,000 new donors to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry. During the Washington, D.C. leg of the Driving for Donors tour last May, Gus met with Pat and joined the NMDP Registry. Gus said in a press release at the time...
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Pat has been recognized for his efforts. Most notably, he was honored with the CNN Heroes Viewers’ Choice Award. In his acceptance speech, Pat urged others to get involved and to donate to the NMDP.
Pat was in Washington, D.C., to interview members of Congress for a television show he is working on that focuses on "young people changing the world." Gus was his first interview. Learn more about Pat's work and track his progress as he continues his nationwide campaign to increase the NMDP Registry at www.drivingfordonors.com. |