Over 1200 register at Dallas event to find donor match for 13-year-old cancer patient, others
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Within the first 30 minutes of the doors opening, 150 people were getting swabbed.
Pike Petersen has been battling an aggressive form of Leukemia and just last week, he went into remission during an interview with CBS News Texas.
"This is just incredible," Pike's sister Mary Claire Petersen said. "I walked in and said there's so many people here it's just real exciting to see people just want to help out."
"He's part of our church family and just as you take care of your family," Park Cities Baptist Church girls minister, Morgan Womack said. "We want to take care of him in this way and so we thought it was the perfect opportunity for our church to get involved."
Park Cities Baptist Church put together the drive in hopes of finding a donor for Pike, but also other people in a similar situation a match.
"People from all over this area, from miles outside of Dallas, I know are coming today to donate," Park Cities Baptist Church student pastor, Taylor Lowrey said.
Everyone from church members, first responders and even people just passing by stopped to help by just swabbing their cheek to see if they could donate.
"My oldest in youth group with Pike and, as a mom with an almost 13-year-old, I will do anything I can to be helpful because I would hope someone that would it for me," Whitney Jodry, a parent donating, said.
"It's very affirming that people want to help and this is such an easy way to help," Pike's father Paul Petersen said.
Pike is currently in the hospital and on chemo but his father sent pictures of the crowds and his son was blown away.
"He has seen some and his spirits are good," Paul Petersen said.
It's typically hard to find a match. Only about 4 out of 10 patients find a matching donor. That's why Earl Young, a survivor of Leukemia and his organization Early Young's Team stepped in to help with this event.
"Olympic gold medal which I won in 1960 and said maybe I can take that and the story that goes with that and being a survivor of AML (Acute myeloid leukemia) mend those two and be able to be invited to speak and tell the story and at that time have drives and register people," survivor, Earl Young said.
Since then, Young and his team have been working to bring more awareness to how people can help. His team has registered nearly 23,000 people and they hope to continue to help others.
"Even if none of these people are Pike's match like these could be matches for three, four kids with leukemia, anything," Mary Claire Petersen said.
According to Earl Young's team, 1,244 people registered Sunday for Pike and other patients searching for matching donors!
For those who live outside of the DFW area who would like to sign up you can order a FREE at-home kit at: www.dkms.org/GetTypedForPike. You must be in good health and be between 18-55 years of age.
