Henry's Tavern Event Seeks Bone Marrow Donor for Aidan Peterson

PLANO, Texas, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Henry's Tavern is hosting a family-friendly bone marrow donor drive Saturday, Mar. 2 from 1-4 p.m. for Aidan Peterson. This Henry's Tavern Event will help Aidan and countless others who desperately need a lifesaving bone marrow transplant – are you the one to save a life? Finding out is as easy as a 30 second cheek swab.  

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130228/SF69112LOGO)

Support this worthy cause by joining Aidan's friends, family and community at the Henry's Tavern Event at The Shops at Legacy, 5741 Legacy Drive Suite 100, Plano, TX 75024 Saturday, Mar. 2 from 1-4 p.m. Guests are encouraged to participate in an optional – and entirely painless – check swab to test for transplant compatibility with Aidan Peterson, and to be added to the national bone marrow registry at Delete Blood Cancer DKMS. This family friendly benefit will feature balloon animals and face painting, acoustic music by Family Crude and Zack Verner, as well as non-alcoholic beverages and a tasty array of appetizers. There is no charge to attend; full food and drink menus will be available for purchase.

Six-year-old Aidan Peterson was recently diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer. This is especially devastating news, as just last year this brave and charming little boy received a clean bill of health after successfully battling another form of leukemia with years of chemotherapy.

"Most parents dream of what their child will be when they grow up. My dream is that my son Aidan will simply grow up," said Aidan's mother, Candice Gaudet. "Signing up as a bone marrow donor is offering someone the gift of survival. I think that is one of the biggest gifts there is. My son is so precious and so full of life. Please help us save him and countless others in need."

While all guests are welcome, you must be between the ages of 18-55 years old and generally in good health to qualify as a donor. After a quick and easy cheek swab, donor information will be kept on file in the national marrow donor program databasefor Delete Blood Cancer DKMS until the donor is 61 years of age, or asks to be removed from the list. Donors are found based on HLA tissue characteristics, of which eight to 10 need to be the same as the patient to be an ideal fit. With more than 7,000 known HLA types with millions of combinations, finding a genetic-twin is like winning the lottery, and every new donor raises a patient's odds.

"Henry's Tavern and Restaurants Unlimited, Inc. take pride in being a part of our community, and when we heard Aidan's story we knew we wanted to help give him a chance for the healthy and happy life every child deserves," said Scott Leffel, general manager of Henry's Tavern. "With a one in one thousand chance of finding a donor for Aidan, our hope is to rally enough of our community to find that needle in a haystack. Please come join us; his donor could be you!"

For information on the Henry's Tavern Event, contact Henry's Tavern sales and event manager, Honor Kirk, at 972-473-7252.

For more information on leukemia and other blood disorders, visit www.deletebloodcancer.org.

For information on Henry's Tavern visit www.henrystavern.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

About Restaurants Unlimited, Inc.:

Since opening its first successful restaurant in 1968, Restaurants Unlimited, Inc. (RUI) has brought its talent for bringing the finest food to some of the best possible locations across the nation. RUI operates 21 different restaurant brands in 47 locations throughout the U.S. Unique concepts include Portland City Grill, Palisade, Cutters Crabhouse and Skates on the Bay. Multi-unit brands include Kincaid's, Palomino Restaurant & Bar, Portland Seafood Company and Stanford's. The restaurants are located in 11 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. RUI is headquartered in Seattle, Wash. and owned by private equity firm Sun Capital Partners. Additional details are available at www.r-u-i.com.

About Delete Blood Cancer:

Delete Blood Cancer DKMS leads the fight to defeat blood cancer by empowering people to take action, give bone marrow and save lives. With over 3.4 million registered bone marrow donors, Delete Blood Caner is the largest bone marrow donor center in the world. More than 34,000 of the donors have helped save lives by donating their bone marrow. More information about Delete Blood Cancer and how to register online: www.deletebloodcancer.org.

SOURCE Restaurants Unlimited, Inc.