Driving for Donors - Grandparents.com

Fueled by love for their grandson, one couple embarks on an extraordinary road trip to recruit bone-marrow donors.

They’ve already logged more than 6,000 miles in their 31-foot "donormobile." They've hit 13 cities since April. And it’s clear that Gordon and Sharon Small are willing to drive to the end of the Earth to further the cause of their 13-year-old grandson, Pat Pedraja, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia more than two years ago.

Their journey began in Palm Harbor, Fla., where the Smalls live about a mile from Pat, his three siblings, his mom and stepdad, and his bulldog, Rinkles. When Pat was diagnosed, "it shook the family to its core," recalls Gordon, 66. "At the time, Pat needed chemotherapy every week. While in the hospital, he saw someone on TV die, a woman who couldn't get a bone-marrow transplant. Pat became concerned that one day he also might not be able to find a marrow donor. So he came up with the idea for a national bone-marrow drive, and founded the nonprofit group, Driving for Donors."

Since then, Pat and his family have raised more than $100,000 to pay for tissue tests for willing potential marrow donors. To find out their marrow type, potential donors sign a consent form, then provide a small sample of saliva, via a cheek swab. It costs Driving for Donors approximately $50 for each tissue analysis. They've enlisted more than 5,600 willing bone-marrow donors so far. And doctors have already successfully matched at least four donors recruited by the group with patients.

It's more than the family imagined they could accomplish when their campaign began in 2007. Pat and his family took off up the East Coast in a loaner RV, with the Smalls following close behind in their own SUV. Just a quarter of the way through the drive, they exceeded their initial goal of registering 2,007 new marrow donors. This year, the project took on a different scope. Pat wanted to focus his attention on raising international awareness, so the teen asked his grandparents if they would carry on his campaign stateside.

They agreed, and their crusade has taken them to some unlikely places, at least for grandparents — like a hip-hop show. "The first drive we did was a concert in Birmingham," Gordon says. "The Black-Eyed Peas were performing. For all grandparents, it's at times like that that you know you're crossing over to become true 'seniors,'" Sharon, 65, admits. "Yes, at one point I had to put in earplugs. But it was a very warm town."

Driving for Donors holds a variety of marrow drives. Some are at concerts or on college campuses; others are cosponsored by local law-enforcement. But, Gordon says, "The ones that touch us the most are the local neighborhood drives where you get to meet families in need [of bone marrow]. We have a bond with a lot of the grandparents, too. To go through this with a family member is rough, and the more family you have the better. The drive has changed both of our lives. We’re more tolerant, and we reap the benefits of feeling good about what we’re doing.”

Those benefits may go beyond just feeling good about themselves. Several recent studies have confirmed the health benefits of volunteering, including a lower mortality rate and a lower incidence of depression, especially among older adults. "We’ve found that people who have retired and aren't engaged in anything aren't as happy and as satisfied," says Tess Scannell, director of the federal Senior Corps, the largest volunteer program for older Americans. She recommends that people eager to take action in causes that are important to them and their families visit one of the Corps' RSVP centers to find training and opportunities that suit them. "If I were a grandparent," Scannell says, "I would approach the local RSVP chapter and say, ‘I have an idea for [a project]. Would you be interested in adopting it?'"

Becoming a self-described "marrow roadie" has led to plenty of once-in-a-lifetime experiences for Gordon, but he still appreciates the cherished rituals of home: "Every Monday or Tuesday, the grandkids come over for dinner. They get to select the menu — if they want fried candy bars, we make it for them. During those dinners, we get a chance to talk to each other and describe what grandparents can represent for them. It's through these dinners, I think, that Pat realized we could be trusted with something as important as begging for bone marrow."

To see where the Smalls will hold their next donor-recruitment drive, to read Pat Pedraja's blog, or to find out how to donate bone marrow or contribute money to Driving for Donors, visit the group's website.