Alessandro Palermo was watching TV in his home in Riomaggiore on Italy's famous Cinque Terre coast, when the photo of Giovanni caught his eye — the baby's tiny mouth, big cheeks and bulging blue eyes went right to his heart.An American baby of Italian/Greek descent was dying, and a desperate search was on for a compatible bone marrow donor who might save his life. Because Giovanni had no direct siblings and time was running out, finding the marrow for the baby was proving difficult.
Palermo recalled that it was a fleeting item on Italian state television, RAI International, and that it was soon eclipsed by the news of Anna Nicole Smith's death.
"Maybe it was because I was the new father of a 4-month-old baby," he told ABC News. "Maybe it was because of my American connection — I worked for an American cruise company and have family in the U.S."
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