Donors gave blood all day Tuesday at the town hall in West Hartford for the second annual blood drive in honor of a young man with lymphoma, cancer in his blood, Seamus Turco.
"I think it's amazing. I mean, it's really nice to see how many people want to show up even if they don't know me personally," he said.
After transfusions for himself, a year ago Seamus and his twin brother Gabriel and their twin best friends, Abby and Kate Gosselin, had decided to see what they could do for others.
The Red Cross collected fifty units of blood a year ago. The girls gave up their hair this March in a $2,000 fundraiser, or "hair-raiser."
"Seamus is one of my best friends," said Kate. "Obviously, I wanted to support him in any way that I could. Doing this blood drive and donating my hair was one way to do that."
When they did the blood drive last year this place was packed. But this year they stretched out the appointments through the course of the day. The purpose is the same.
Helen Rubino-Turco, Seamus's mother, said: "It's the dedication of Seamus and Gabriel and Abby and Kate to the cause of giving blood, of turning around and turning something that is a challenge for Seamus into something where they can give back to all the people that have given to Seamus."
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As for Seamus, he's finished Conard High School. Now comes a gap year and about ten months more of chemotherapy.
