He's Passionate About Blood Donation!

​Today we worshiped with the congregation at Christ Lutheran Church in Mainland.  It was the blessing of the pet’s service, something that we have not previously experienced, and we were in for a real treat as, cats, dogs and a guinea pig came forward for their blessing.  Christ Lutheran will be holding their first blood drive in October and Peter was invited to share his cancer journey and his passion for blood donation.
 
He did a nice job speaking and sharing the posters from his blood campaign.  It’s been awhile since the first photos were taken and some of you may not be aware of the children’s stories so I’ll share with you the talk he gave and the photos of the children.

I’m Peter Zucca, an 8th Grader at Indian Valley Middle School and as many of you know I’m a cancer survivor!  I understand that your church is sponsoring a blood drive with the American Red Cross and I want you to participate! 
 
​It’s important to me that you have chosen to partner with the American Red Cross because they are the sole supplier of blood products at CHOP; The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  So, thank you for that!  Here’s a FACT for you:  CHOP uses 25,000 units of blood a year!  That’s a really big number and you have the power within you to see that all the blood needed to restore health to the CHOP kids is available to them
 
FACT:  I have a blood drive scripture!  I bet you’ve never met anyone before that has a blood drive scripture!  Well here goes:
 
Psalm 139:14  I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. 
 
​God has thought of everything!  He never fails us!  He made it possible for you to take blood out of your arm and put it into mine and save my life!
 
I started The Peter Powerhouse Foundation to help kids with cancer.  I work to raise awareness about how much blood kids with cancer need, and to increase blood donations in our community.  I work with Allebach Communications to spotlight local cancer kids and the amount of blood they needed to survive treatment. 

​This first poster is mine; my number is 51 and all fifty-one units were before the age of two.  I’m hoping you’ll fill all the slots on your blood drive signup.  Don’t you have an hour to spare to give kids like me the blood products they need to fight their cancer?  I’m Peter and I’m the original Powerhouse!

Poster number two belongs to my friend Chris; we used to ride the bus together.  He was eighteen months old when he was diagnosed with Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma.  Rhabdo is a cancer of the muscle.  He had chemo, radiation, surgery and blood products in his arsenal to fight his cancer.  
 
You may think Chris has a small number at just 2 units, but low-blood counts delay chemo and chemo delays allow tumors to grow.  Everyday counts when you’re trying to save the life of a child. 
 
Don’t you have an hour to spare to give a kid like Chris the blood products they need to fight their cancer?  Chris is a Powerhouse!

Poster number three belongs to Rebekah.  She might look familiar to some of you.  She recently finished treatment for an Ewing Sarcoma; that’s a bone cancer. Rebekah underwent chemo, radiation and surgery including a forefoot amputation. 
 
It took 28 units of blood to get her through treatment.  She lost her hair and half of her foot, but cancer didn’t take her smile!  Rebekah is a Powerhouse!

It’s time to meet Erin; she was just fourteen-months-old when her family learned that she had Neuroblastoma; that’s a cancer of the nervous system.  The tumor was big and so was her fight.  She was blessed to have her blood products on stand-by and to recover without needing them!
 
That didn’t stop her from lending her smile to this campaign, because she knows that donated blood is donated love.  She was too young to understand its importance, but today she wants you to know that kids with cancer are counting on your donation.  Erin is a “Powerhouse”!

Jaxson was in the third grade when he was photographed for this campaign.  He was just 6-months-old he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  It recurred more times than the number of units on his sign.  When I think of Jaxson I think of someone that is courageous, happy and fun.  I think all the cancer kids are brave and strong; but even a Powerhouse can have a hero, Jaxson is mine. Jaxson passed away last summer just after he finished the fifth grade.  Jaxson is a “forever in our hearts”.  Please!  Sign up today and give kids like Jaxson a fighting chance at life

Meet Sweet Emma!  She was diagnosed at 4 months with severe congenital neutropenia.  It took 3 units of blood to get her through transplant. Little Emma is a fighter and her brave big sister Lilly is a hero; Lilly gave her bone marrow to save her little sister’s life.  Photographed at 2 years-old Emma is our youngest Powerhouse.

​Molly is the most recent cancer kid to join our photo campaign.  She’s twelve years old and is battling a brain tumor.  She’s currently on hospice and has never actually had blood products.  But, she and her family have seen more than enough to know that cancer kids need blood and Molly’s participation in this campaign can have an amazing impact on your blood drive participation!  Please signup today and help to save the life of a child fighting for theirs.  Molly is a Powerhouse

By the way all of these children live in the Souderton or Pennridge School Districts.  You can save the lives of children just like them by donating blood here.
 
FACT:  You can donate blood 6 times per year.  You can save up to 3 lives each time, that’s 18 lives a year!
 
You can start donating blood at the age of 16. With the average life expectancy for men of 76 years you get 60 years to donate.  So men can save up to 1080 lives.  Women you’ve got the men beat here with a life expectancy of 81 years and 1170 lives saved!  I know some of you are scared to donate and I promise you would be more frightened if you were in the position to receive.  Some of you don’t like needles – no one likes needles.
 
If you’re interested you can learn more about my foundation at Peter Powerhouse.org.  “Like” and follow me on FB, cheer me on, and please sign up to join my blood drives whenever you’re not having one here.  When a child dies from cancer the average number of years lost is 71.

​Without blood products, low blood counts will delay treatment, delayed treatment will allow tumors to grow and I promise you this, growing tumors will and do take the lives of children like me everyday.  Together we can make a difference in the lives of kids with cancer. 
 
I’m Peter Zucca, founder of the Peter Powerhouse Foundation and I’m Uniquely qualified to improve the lives of kids with cancer.  Thank you.
 
We host six ten-hour blood drives each year; the remaining drives are on August 31, October 26, and December 28.  All drives are held at Towamencin Mennonite Church.  Walk-ins are welcome but pre-registration is preferred.  You can register today for all three drives at www.redcrossblood.org and use the code:  Peter Powerhouse.  If your child would like to join our photo campaign please contact us.

Some are growing up, some are frozen in time, each one is dearly loved and worth an hour of your time.  Register today to give blood.

www.redcrossblood.org
code:  Peter Powerhouse