Record-Breaking Donations At Chatham's 'Stay Strong Michael' Blood Drive

CHATHAM, NJ — Members of the Chatham community gathered once more for the ninth annual 'Stay Strong Michael' blood drive, which was founded in 2014 by a group of Chatham mothers in support of a young boy who was hit by a car.

This year's blood drive was held on Sunday, December 4 at Chatham High School, and it drew a large crowd from the local community as well as residents from neighboring towns.

The drive, organized by five Chatham mothers, Rosalinda Rubio-Williams, Melissa Fitzgerald, Marguerite White, Nicole DiMaggio, and Michelle Clark, aims to raise awareness about the importance of blood donations and the positive impact they can have on people's lives.

The first drive was held in 2014, shortly after DiMaggio's 11-year-old son, Michael DiMaggio, was hit by a car while walking home from school.

"He was walking home from Chatham Middle School and while he was walking home on the sidewalk a motorist had a cardiac event while he was driving and he went unresponsive behind the wheel and his car went out of control and it crossed over oncoming traffic, went up onto the sidewalk and he ran over my son," DiMaggio said.

DiMaggio stated that her son was in the hospital for three months following the collision and underwent ten surgeries, which required him to have his entire leg reconstructed.

During his hospital stay, Michael DiMaggio required seven blood transfusions to save his life.

"In the 72 hours after Michael's accident, he required seven blood transfusions, and I was just, grateful for the volunteer blood donors who made it so that when Michael needed blood, it was there available to him. So I said, if, you know, if people want to help tell them to go donate blood," DiMaggio said.

The drive, which is held in collaboration with the American Red Cross, has continued to grow over the years. This past Sunday, 88 pints of blood were collected at the high school, setting a new record for the event.

"Every year since 2014, our number has gone up every single year. I'm kind of waiting for that year when we think, okay, I don't think we could ever surpass 88, but who knows what next year will bring," DiMaggio said.

Although the drive started as a way for the community to help the DiMaggio family, event organizers hope to spread the message to help all communities in need. "We just have to pay it so that if, God forbid, tragedy strikes someone else, that the blood will be there for them as well as it was for Michael. And that's what's really important to me, it was there for my son and I just hope that anybody who needs it, it will be there for them as well."

Michael DiMaggio is currently a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, where he's majoring in mechanical engineering. According to his mother, he has fully recovered, though the collision has permanently compromised his left leg.

"We are thankful that he can walk, he can run, and he's living his life and that that's what's most important," DiMaggio said.