'Celebration Of Glen': Widow Talks Commack Blood Drive Held In Fallen Officer's Memory

COMMACK, NY — It has been nearly 16 years since the world unjustly lost Glen Ciano, a Suffolk County police officer killed when he was struck by a drunken driver while responding to a call in Commack on Feb. 22, 2009.

And Saturday will mark the 15th annual Glen Ciano Memorial Blood Drive held by the Commack Fire Department. The drive is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Commack Fire Department, at 6309 Jericho Turnpike, Commack.

Glen's wife, Susan, is thankful that the Suffolk County Police Department kept its word to her.

"The police department always says that they'll be your family when an officer dies. They're always there for you," Susan told Patch. "When you just find out about your husband and you can't comprehend that, and you hear them say that, you honestly go, 'Yeah, right.' But between the police department and the Commack Fire Department, they have honored Glen and remembered Glen for all these years. It just makes me feel so good that they have followed what they said."

Susan said she can call Pat Fazio, chairman of the board of the Commack Fire Department at any time, knowing he will be there for her.

"I did not know [Fazio] before Glen died, but he's like, 'Oh hi, Sue! How are you doing?' It could be a quick conversation, but he would drop a hat and do something," Susan said. "He's there. Not that I've asked him to do anything, but I know he has memories of Glen and the tragedy. It's just so nice to know that it's not a fake line when they say, 'We'll never forget,' or, 'Whatever you need, call us.'"

Ciano said she heard from the fire department only a few months after her husband's death when they told her that they wanted to rename their annual blood drive in Glen's memory.

"Every year, it's actually a celebration," Susan said. "To me, it's a celebration for Glen and his memories. I actually look forward to it every year. The first couple of years were tough, but I have been there every year since the beginning. I say hello to people, I talk to people, I say thank you. I recognize faces that have come every year. It's very important that I be there, because they're doing this in memory of Glen."

The New York Blood Center declared a blood emergency because of a significant drop in blood
donations following the holiday season. The blood center has seen a 30 percent drop in donations, which has resulted in 6,500 fewer donations and crippled the region’s blood supply, the blood bank stated. Donations of all blood types are urgently needed—especially Types O- and B-, which are both down to just a one- to three-day supply.

"If you're driving past and you see the sign, then stop in," Susan said. "If you have a free half hour, if you have the time, just stop in. Think of all the people — or think of yourself, even, or a family member — who tomorrow, may need blood, and it's not there."

Susan wanted to thank everyone who has ever donated blood at her husband's memorial drive, whether it was once, five times or every year.

"I love it that he has not been forgotten," she said. "We have family members who have come down. Myself, my kids, my grandkids. Sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law. We have friends from high school who have come down. It's a celebration of Glen. I thank everybody that when they can get down there."

Last year, the drive collected nearly 300 pints of blood. Each year, the total has gone up, Susan said.

"That just shows me that everybody cares still — the number of people who show."