Community Corner
Fundraiser Will Help Paramus Bus Crash Victim Swim
Brendan O'Callaghan injuries limit how active he can be. He is allowed to swim, but can't because his pool needs to be repaired.
PARAMUS, NJ — Brendan O'Callaghan loves to swim. It is one of the few things he is allowed to do following injuries he sustained in a horrific school bus crash May 17.
O'Callaghan injured his head, ribs, and clavicle. He received therapy in the hospital and returned home May 29. He is continuing therapy and is limited by how active he can be. He cannot play sports or run a lot, but he can swim. His family set up their pool recently so he could swim, but the pool's liner was ripped and the pool cannot be used.
Marc Mangano, a friend of the family helped Arnie O'Callaghan's dad, set up the pool. He started a GoFundMe page Wednesday to raise $3,000 to help the family pay to repair the pool.
Find out what's happening in Paramusfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"I want to give Brendan the opportunity to swim in his pool since there is nothing else this wonderful child can do this summer due to his health restrictions," Mangano said on the GoFundMe page.
More than $700 has been donated as of Thursday morning.
Find out what's happening in Paramusfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
New York sports teams have also done their part to boost Brendan O'Callaghan's spirits.
The New York Yankees and New York Rangers have sent O'Callaghan gifts since the accident. The Rangers sent him a hockey stickautographed by goalie Henrik Lundqvist. O'Callaghan also
The New York Giants' Landon Collins recorded a special get-well message for Brendan O'Callaghan. Quarterback Eli Manning recorded a special message for the East Brook Middle School Community.
O'Callaghan, a big Michael Kay fan, appeared on Kay's radio show earlier this month.
There were 46 people on the bus, 38 students from East Brook Middle School on the bus, along with seven teachers and chaperones, and the driver, Hudy Muldrow Sr. The bus, along with two others, was on its way to Waterloo Village when it crashed on Interstate 80.
Two people, teacher Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy and 10-year-old student Miranda Faith Vargas, died in the Mount Olive crash.
Related:
- Paramus Bus Crash Victim Brendan O'Callaghan Is Home
- WATCH: Paramus Bus Crash Victim Meets Michael Kay
- WATCH: Eli Manning Makes Message For Paramus Crash Victims
- Driver Charged In Fatal NJ School Bus Crash: Prosecutor
- WATCH: Paramus Candlelight Vigil For Bus Crash Victims
Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com
Photo: Brendan O'Callaghan (Photo courtesy of GoFundMe, a promotional partner of Patch)
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