Blood Drive Friday In Honor Of Summit Boy

SUMMIT, NJ - Three weeks before his sixth birthday in August of 2017, Summit resident Max Gottstein lost his battle against leukemia. On Friday a blood drive in his honor hopes to assist others battling illness.

For the third time in as many years the Max Gottstein BLood Drive is setting up shop in Franklin Elementary School, located at 136 Blackburn Road, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

According to organizers, Gottstein lost his battle against leukemia, a cancer he developed after fighting a rare eye cancer called retinoblastoma from the time he was eight months old. Through years of treatments, hospital stays, and two bone marrow transplants, Max remained a magical little boy who loved life and inspired others with his strength and ability to shine even on the darkest days, they said.

Generously donated blood products were essential to Max’s treatment for years, according to officials, and now Max's family wants to help others in Max's name.

Appointments can be made through the Red Cross's website.

A representative from Be The Match will also be helping people join the bone marrow registry with a simple cheek swab. Later, they may be contacted to donate bone marrow to someone in need.

Those unable to donate blood but still want to participate are welcome to drop off unwrapped toys and bags of wrapped candy for oncology patients and their families at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Or, they can make monetary donations to the Max Gottstein Retinoblastoma Research Fund at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, which funds the valuable eye cancer research of Max's oncologist, Dr. Ann Leahey. For more information, visit www.teammightymax.org.

Summit High School's Red Cross Club will be with the drive for the second year. Also, there will be childcare--including activities for children to get involved making goody bags and writing notes to cancer patients at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"Max loved nothing more than bringing people together. We are so touched by the way people in our community enthusiastically come out and help others in Max's name,"said Kristen Gottstein, Max's mother.

Last year, the drive collected over 80 units of blood, two van-fulls of toys and gifts for CHOP patients, and 15 registrants to Be the Match.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter by clicking here. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading our Apple iOS app here, or by visiting the Google Play store for the Android app here.