 ALL ABOUT ME!
My name is Pat. I am 12 years old and I have Leukemia.
I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in March 2006. This diagnosis came after a long, painful year suffering from what we then thought was Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. The pain and swelling in my joints got so bad that I was in a wheelchair for 5 months because I was unable to walk a single step. When the pain got worse and I had a fever that wouldn't go away my doctors put me in the hospital where they found out that I really have Leukemia. I am undergoing chemotherapy treatments at St. Josephs Children's Hospital in Tampa, Florida and will continue those treatments until July 2009.
I live near Tampa, Fl with my mom, Claudine, stepdad, Keith, 2 brothers, Nathan, 12 and Tucker, 6, my sister Jocelyn and my beloved Bulldog, Rinkles. My dad, William, lives in South Florida.
I love sports, especially hockey and baseball! I can't play hockey or baseball right now because of the Leukemia and that makes me sad but I love going to see games! I have to be careful because my immune system is week and I can't get hurt because that could be dangerous for me if my platelets are low. I also am a straight A student and really like history.
I heard about the shortage of bone marrow donors , especially for minority groups, when a friend of mine died because she couldn't find a matching donor. That made me so sad and I want to do something to help! I am part hispanic, and am scared that if I need a bone marrow transplant one day there may not be a match available for me.
I am excited to plan and organize DRIVING FOR DONORS and I hope you will help me. It is scary because it is such a large task but I can do it with your help!
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