What Makes this AK Upgrade so Special?

This particular gun was a raffle item generously assembled and donated by Rifle Dynamics with assistance of several leading AK parts and gear suppliers in an effort to assist a military service member in need.

Cory Graham married his high school sweetheart at the age of 19, only to be separated by his enlistment in the Navy in 2005. To make separation even more difficult, his wife was pregnant with a son who would only see his father for a total of six months during Graham's five years of military service in the Navy and Army. A decorated soldier, Graham was honorably discharged in May 2010. The family's hopes of enjoying their marriage after being apart did not take the shape for which they had hoped. At the youthful age of 24, Graham was diagnosed with stage 3 Ewing's sarcoma, a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone or in soft tissue. He has also been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills, cognitive processes and other functions. Graham has been given 12 to 15 months to live by doctors, and treatment for his illnesses has placed an enormous financial burden on the family.

Rifle Dynamics—along with other companies including Magna-Matic Defense, U.S. PALM (which donated eight AK30 magazines and one of its AK Attack Rack chest rigs), New Frontier Armory, Primary Weapons Systems, E.D.G.E. Slings, Dale Fricke Holsters and Suarez International—raffled the upgraded AK in an effort to raise contributions for Graham. The raffle winner was kind enough to allow me to review the rifle in an effort to get word out about the industry's generosity and the cause for which this particular rifle was intended.