One Child's Dream / Driving For Donors was started by 11 year old Leukemia patient Pat Pedraja. Pat found out that so many people with Leukemia and other blood disorders are dying becuase they can't find bone marrow donor matches in order to get a transplant. There is a critical need for donors (especially minority donors) on the National Marrow Registry and most people don't know how easy it is to join the Registry. Pat set out to raise awareness about the need for marrow donors and started a National Marrow Drive to add 2007 donors to the National Marrow Registry in 2007. Pat and his family drove across the country in an RV, to 32 different cities in 3 months and held marrow donor drives. There is a fee for tissue typing to add donors to the Registry so Pat raised over $140,000 by selling ad space on his bald (from Chemotherapy) head! Pat added over 5500 donors in 3 months and is continuing doing marrow drives, raising money and promoting awareness about the need for marrow donors. Pat is working with people all over the country who want to start Driving For Donor campaigns in their area. Pat is also presently working on starting a National Project called Driving For Donors:BE A HERO which will be used in schools and other organizations to get kids involved. The program will teach young people about blood disorders, the need for marrow donors and how kids can make a difference by donating THEIR time and/or own money to help someone else. During his Drive, Pat realized that he has the potential to inspire people to take action and now goes around the country speaking to groups about Making A Difference. He also created an organization and website called www.theplanetus.com to inspire people to make a difference in the world.

DRIVING FOR DONORS began in 2007 as a nationwide event where my family and I traveled around the country in a special "Donormobile" . We worked work with The National Marrow Donor Program, The Marrow Foundation, law enforcement departments, local donor centers and businesses and the media to host successful donor drives in over 30 major cities! My original goal was to add 2007 new donors to the National Marrow Registry in 2007 but we surpassed that goal and added over 11,000 donors so far! We raised over $150,000 for tissue typing fees and drive expenses by selling advertising on my bald head! So far, my Driving For Donors marrow drives have found 5 life saving marrow matches for people in need!

DRIVING FOR DONORS generated so much international interest that we made DRIVING FOR DONORS 2008 an INTERNATIONAL TOUR! We held drives around the US and in Australia and are planning future drives now! Please contact us to see how you can help support DRIVING FOR DONORS or to host a DRIVING FOR DONORS event in your area!

Others can get involved by holding a marrow drive in YOUR community or by helping us raise funds by planning a Fundraiser. Everyone can make a difference and like Pat says "You are never too young to change the world!"