Every year, North Hunterdon students and staff join together for a great cause; donating blood. This year’s blood drive was especially important, and it brought one of the largest crowds in the history of the school. The drive this year was in honor of the parents of two students, Caitlin Downey and Nick Nelson, both juniors, who each lost a parent from cancer. Without blood donations, the parents would have had much less time to spend with their families.
Nelson lost his dad, Michael, this past October. He had been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer just a year prior. Throughout his battle, Michael Nelson received several blood and platelet transfusions. While these could not save his life, they gave he and his family precious time. By getting this blood, Nick and his siblings got to spend more quality time with their father before he passed.
The other student whose parent was tributed was Caitlin Downey. Her mom, Jeanne Vanderbeek Downey, had been fighting with breast cancer for several years. She unfortunately lost this fight in June of this year. Over the years, Jeanne needed to get blood transfusions countless times. These transfusions gave the Downey family extra years to celebrate with their mother, and more opportunities for Jeanne to watch her three children grow into the people that they are today.
Blood drives have been a large event at North Hunterdon for years. Holding the record of the most blood donated in the Tri-State area over the past several years, North takes pride in the mission to help people with these vital blood donations. Steven DeLorenzo, a guidance counselor here at North, is the head of the blood drives at the school. His passion for blood drives stems from his mother, who had to receive blood after she had been diagnosed with cancer. The blood that she received gave her another year to spend with her family.
DeLorenzo is amazed each year with the enthusiasm each year put forth by the student body and community. With hundreds of students, and more each year, it is no surprise to him that we lead the Tri-State area in blood donations. When talking about our record, he said, “We have the best student body and best community around, so I firmly intend to stay at number one.”
Kelsey Shelofsky, a senior and one of the students who was in charge of the blood drive, was excited for the amount of student support. “We had about 500 people sign up in the beginning, and a few more after the assembly. We are trying to beat last years record, but along with that, it’s all really for the cause and for Mr. Nelson and Mrs. Downey. The blood drive is just part of North Hunterdon culture.”
The “amazing tribute” to Michael Nelson and Jeanne Vanderbeek Downey, their families are very thankful. This blood drive had so much extra meaning, and it just goes to show that we never know who will get your blood, but that no matter who receives it, it can be what keeps them alive. So come out to the next blood drive, you can change so many lives with just one donation!