Teen's need for bone marrow sparks community effort to find donors

Published: 2006-07-31

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CNS) -- Pete Palmere, 17, is not unaccustomed to challenges. As a child when his family vacationed at the beach, he created historic cities instead of the traditional sandcastle. By fourth grade he was playing the cello and became a gifted musician, performing in musical ensembles in his hometown of Davis and as a member of his high school orchestra and the Sacramento Youth Symphony. In March 2005, Palmere was diagnosed with leukemia. Earlier this year his doctors said the intensive chemotherapy he has undergone has not been successful and his only option is a bone marrow transplant. Family members are not a match, so the community has started a donor registry drive to help him and others in need of a bone marrow transplant. "It's a community of friends who have come together," said Carrie Pilon, a close friend of the Palmere family and member of St. James Parish in Davis. Support for the Palmere family has been "incredible," she told the Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Sacramento Diocese. Friends stop by to drop off dinner and drive family members to the hospital.

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