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A Few Clouds Rockville Centre blood drive held in memory of Anthony Petrocelli
Anthony Petrocelli didn’t have a chance to finish his senior year at South Side High School, but is still remembered by those who knew him as a high-spirited, fun-loving teenager whose favorite hobby was surfing.
Unfortunately, in 2017, he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and would receive treatment at the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital Oncology Department.
After two years, he lost his battle with cancer and died prematurely in 2019, at the age of 16.
In an effort to turn the past four years of grief into something more productive and meaningful, three of his close friends from school — Ryan Riccio, Brendan McCarthy and Mason VonEsson — organized the “Pints for Petro” blood drive, which was held on Friday afternoon at the New York Blood Center in Rockville Centre.
“We had 87 people give blood, which is double the average amount that the Rockville Centre Blood Center gets each day,” Riccio, 20, told the Herald. “Each donation saves three lives, so that’s about 261 lives saved.”
He said the idea for the blood drive was inspired by Petrocelli, who used to say, “the best way to help is to donate blood.”
Riccio explained that transfusions can be an issue for people with long-standing diseases and health problems, especially when there is a short supply of blood, and that many patients who can go a few extra days without it, will sometimes get put at the bottom of the list.
Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood or platelets, according to the American Red Cross, which encourages donations to try and help meet patient demands.
“The biggest message we want to get out there is for people to donate blood,” Riccio said. “You can go and donate blood every two months. It’s a quick and easy way to help.”
To help honor the memory of their friend, who was an avid surf enthusiast, people who donated blood were automatically entered into a sweepstakes to win a stand-up paddleboard.
They also raised more than $1,300 to help fund research on Ewing Sarcoma at the Cold Spring Harbor laboratories by making and selling 75 t-shirts.
“We’re pretty happy about that,” Riccio said.
Ewing Sarcoma impacts the bones or soft tissue around the legs, pelvis, ribs, arms or spine and can spread.
While it is considered the second most common type of bone cancer found in children in the United States, according to St. Jude Children’s Research hospital, it is very rare. Only about 200 children and young adults are diagnosed with it each year.
The cancer is treatable if it is caught in time and in some cases can be removed surgically, or in some cases, cured through chemo and radiation therapy. However, for teens between ages 15 and 19, like Petrocelli, there is a much lower survival rate of about 56 percent.
Riccio, McCarthy, and VonEsson said they are currently in talks about launching, “Petro’s Peers,” as a charitable nonprofit foundation. The goal is to continue to honor the memory of their friend by hosting more beach-related events that mirror and embrace Petrocelli’s identity.
