Press Release

WASTE MANAGEMENT TEAMS UP WITH THE RED CROSS
Community blood drive helps five-year-old boy with rare disorder

Antelope Valley, February 3, 2007 – Thirty-nine employees and friends donated blood Thursday as Waste Management hosted an American Red Cross blood drive at the Antelope Valley Landfill in Palmdale. The drive was in support of John Paul Quintero, the five-year-old nephew of WM employee Oscar Gomez. Quintero has Diamond Blackfan Anemia, an extremely rare blood disorder that prevents his body from producing red blood cells.

The treatment for Diamond Blackfan Anemia requires blood transfusions every two weeks, and Quintero has already received over 123 transfusions in his young life. The disease is notably rare, affecting approximately 600-700 people world-wide. The majority of cases are detected before children reach four months of age.

Gomez, who is landfill operations specialist at Waste Management, has helped to organize other blood drives and events in support of the family. Gomez also created the website www.johnpaulquintero.com to tell John Paul Quintero’s story and pay tribute to the extended family of friends, neighbors and strangers that has grown around the Quinteros.

“Every day is a gift and every birthday is a milestone that we share with all of the folks who have given a part of themselves to John Paul and our family,” commented Gomez. “We’ve seen first-time and long-time donors come out to support not just our family but others, too.”

The community also rallied together when Quintero’s father, Juan Quintero, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, about a year ago. ALS is a rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement. The elder Quintero has lost use of his arms, and relies on help from others for everyday tasks.

More information about Diamond Blackfan Anemia can be found at www.dbafoundation.org.

Waste Management has served the Antelope Valley for over 35 years and is proud to be a community partner to AV residents, and an environmental steward of its unique natural resources. Waste Management is one of the nation’s largest providers of recycling and solid waste services. Waste Management is a full service Company offering residential, commercial, construction and recycling services. For more information about recycling, log onto www.KeepingAVclean.com.

# # #