Whatever it is that moves people to rally around a community member in need, those around Brandon Lewis have it to spare.

And it's a good thing they do, because the North Huntingdon resident has had more than his share of misfortune and now is in his second battle with an acute form of leukemia.

In December 2000, Brandon, who turns 21 next month, lost his maternal grandfather to mesothelioma; on Christmas the following year, he lost his mother to metastatic liver cancer.

Then in 2005, during his senior year at Norwin High School, Brandon found out he had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of cancer common in young children. A combination of chemotherapy, radiation and a stem cell transplant drove it into remission, but then his father and maternal grandmother died from lung cancer in February 2007.

This spring, his doctors told Brandon that the stem cell transplant had failed and that his leukemia was back. He will have to put off his sophomore year at Geneva College and is currently awaiting a compatible match from the National Marrow Donor Program so he can undergo a second transplant.

Despite the news, which his aunt, Joanne Saula, described as a "terrible disappointment," Brandon is focusing on enjoying his interests, which include sports -- he played football at Norwin -- music and world history.

Speaking from UPMC Shadyside, where he was undergoing further chemotherapy, he said it has helped that he's had the support of family and friends.

"I don't want to pick out just one or two people," he said. "There's so many."

But he added that, along with his sister Brittney, 22, a nursing assistant with whom he shares the family home, and Mrs. Saula and another aunt, Frances Kelly, both of North Huntingdon, it's Circleville Assistant Fire Chief Bill Sombo who stands out.

Mr. Sombo, who is also North Huntingdon's K-9 police officer, said he knew Brandon through his daughter, who also attended Norwin. Because he has trained dogs owned by Steelers players over the years, he was able to obtain team memorabilia for fund-raisers, and he coordinated police department volunteers for the 2006 benefit concert for Brandon by the Povertyneck Hillbillies.

Last summer, Mr. Sombo arranged for Brandon to visit during the Steelers summer practices at Saint Vincent College, and when he dropped Brandon off at his home afterward, Mr. Sombo said he noticed some sections of the home were flooded and in need of repair.

"There was a leak in the basement where the sewage was backing up," he said, and outside, "tons of bees in the rafters. And no AC."

With Brandon scheduled to undergo his first stem cell transplant, a procedure that reduces a patient's ability to fight disease, hospital staff said the young man could not return home unless the problems were fixed.

Mr. Sombo headed up the repair effort, obtaining donations from contractors and enlisting his fellow firefighters and police officers as well as Brandon's neighbors and former Norwin classmates.

"It went from just a few repairs to almost a complete rehab," he said, noting that more than 600 people worked on the house.

Now Brandon needs his community's help again in his search for a compatible bone marrow donor. Another blood drive is being organized at which people can be tested for compatibility, but for now, Mr. Sombo is urging those interested to be tested through the Central Blood Bank, which is a member of the National Marrow Donor Program and its registry.

Sharon King, who works at Central Blood Bank as coordinator of the registry, said there are two ways to be tested.

A kit can be ordered for $55 from the program's Web site at www.marrow.org. The kit will be mailed with medical forms that include instructions on how to perform and return the test, which involves swabbing the inside of the mouth to collect cells.

Another way to be tested is to give blood at any Central Blood Bank collection site. Although donors must specifically request the mouth swab test, Ms. King said the blood bank will cover the test's cost.

Ms. King stressed those tested aren't screened just for one person. "You must be willing to help anyone to whom you're matched," she said. But expanding the registry is one way to increase the chances of finding a compatible donor for Brandon or anyone else with diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma.

Brandon is hoping to return to Geneva College and play on its football team, as well as continue as a volunteer firefighter with the Circleville department. He said his doctors are optimistic that a second stem cell transplant will turn the tide against his leukemia. "They said they'd get it this time," he said.

But right now, Mr. Sombo said, the focus is on finding a compatible bone marrow donor.

"This is a down-to-earth, great kid. He wants to stay alive," he said. "We've got to find a donor for this kid."

For more information on joining the National Marrow Donor Program or sponsoring a blood drive and testing event for Brandon Lewis, call the Central Blood Bank at 412-209-7000 or go to www.centralbloodbank.org.