January Spotlight: Peter Zucca

Peter Zucca, a volunteer in the Southern Pennsylvania Region, hosted over 40 blood drives in 2020.

When Peter Zucca was only 10 months old, he was diagnosed with cancer. Within a year, he received 51 units of blood during various operations, and those transfusions helped save his life. Upon reflecting on his childhood experience at age 12, Peter emailed his local Red Cross asking to host a blood drive so that he could give back those 51 units.

Now, five years later, Peter has hosted hundreds of blood drives and collected thousands of units of blood. “The need for blood is endless,” he says. “I just can’t let the kids with cancer down!” Even during COVID19, Peter was determined to continue hosting blood drives and successfully organized 42 drives by the end of 2020.

Peter emphasizes that “it’s important to educate donors on topics such as how they save the lives of kids like me. When people have a good donation experience and understand their impact, we don’t just raise the current levels of our blood banks, but also future levels as well!”

Peter, we look forward to seeing you continue your journey with the Red Cross! Thank you for your dedication and supporting lifesaving blood donations!