The Village of Mineola received more sad news. In addition to upstanding and well respected resident James Galante passing, the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps lost a member of its Explorers, Peter Mirabile, who died at the age of 18 due to complications from a bone marrow transplant.

At 7 years old, Peter was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. For 12 years, he fought gallantly for his life. In July, he underwent a bone marrow transplant.

A resident of Garden City, Peter was unable to attend school on a full-time basis in his high school years, he pushed forward relentlessly with home tutoring and graduated with his class from Garden City High School in June of this year. This was a goal he was determined to achieve. His strong, beautiful will also led him to pursue a selfless life of service. At 16 years old, he volunteered to become a junior firefighter for the Garden City Fire Department. Finding a purpose in this, he simultaneously became an Explorer for the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Peter's sense of duty, integrity, honor and courage far exceeded the physical confines this illness placed on his young shoulders. Just prior to his transplant, he became a New York State Certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and he aspired to become a paramedic.

Those who wish to continue Peter's fight against Aplastiic Anemia can do so by being a bone marrow donor. You can do this by contacting the National Marrow Donor Program. The nearest center to Garden City is the New York Blood Center, 81 Willoughby Street, Fifth Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718-797-7850 or www.nybloodcenter.org).