Alumni Stories – Now, in its 10th year as a Student Organization, PDM is the largest student-run philanthropy on University of Pittsburgh's campus, changing kid's health 1 day at a time

“One memory that sticks out a little more than the rest was walking with Gabriel in the 2019 Fashion Show. Not only did we have a fun time walking on stage, but we also got to spend time with Gabriel and learn about some of his favorite things. The highlight of the night was when Gabriel gave some advice that I’ll never forget. When he was discussing his time in the hospital he said that something that always helped him through the difficult times was to remember all of the positive memories with his friends and family because remaining positive even through challenges was extremely important.“

“During my four years with PDM, I was a part of so many unforgettable moments – from incredibly heartbreaking to unbelievably inspiring. During the PDM 2019-2020 year, we had some of our Miracle Kids visit campus to film a video with us. One of those kids was Faith, who was one of my campers the previous summer when I was a camp counselor at CHP’s Dr. Bill Neches Heart Camp for Kids. I walked into the ground floor of Cathy holding Faith’s hand and as we passed through the hallway she said “it smells like the Children’s Hospital in here.” This was one of many times a Miracle Kid left me speechless. No child should be familiar enough with the inside of a hospital to be reminded of it so easily.“