Blood Drive In Memory Of 'Magnetic' Woman Slated For Melville

MELVILLE, NY — A blood drive celebrating the life and memory of Megan Santa Croce is scheduled for Nov. 13 in Melville. It is slated to run from 8:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at Melville Donor Center, at 905 Walt Whitman Road.

Anyone who would like to register can sign up online or call 800-935-BLOOD (2566). The group number for donating blood is 71008 and ensures the donations are made in Santa Croce's memory.

Santa Croce died of ovarian cancer three years ago at the age of 23. She was first diagnosed at the age of 16. After being in remission, Santa Croce's cancer returned within the month she graduated from college. She was about to teach English in Honduras for a year.

Her mother, Molly Bagwell Santa Croce, has aimed to promote Megan's legacy by spreading awareness about ovarian cancer and childhood cancer.

Megan's friend, Jason Zelamsky, said he met Megan when he was a freshman and joined The Binghamton Treblemakers acapella group. He was a year behind Megan, and their group had a tradition inspired by Greek life to take on new members as "littles."

Megan took Zelamsky on as her little, and she was his "big." Their friendship grew from there, as they found time to grab dinner, study and take walks together.

"In that way, she really was my 'big,' like the big sister I never had," Zelamsky told Patch.

He said Megan had a "truly global mindset," triple majoring in French, Linguistics, and Global Studies and having the opportunity to study abroad in France.

"Megan's energy was so magnetic that she had deep friendships with our acapella members and so many others," Zelamsky said. "She was able to dedicate her time not only to her studies and the arts, but also her jobs, her family, and her church. Megan's determination and aspirations were so inspiring to me and everyone who knew her. When I met her, she had already gotten through her first bout with cancer and her aspirations upon graduating in the spring of 2017 were to travel to Honduras and teach with a Catholic Outreach program."

Her second cancer diagnosis made her Honduras plans impossible, so she planned to attend graduate school at SUNY Buffalo instead. She was accepted but forced to defer due to her health.

"To me, Megan's story is one of strong will and faith in the face of adversity, always living life to the fullest, and never taking a single day for granted," Zelamsky said. "These are things all of us could benefit from, and so Live Like Megan was born."

For those who cannot attend the blood drive but would still like to help, Zelamsky asked that they consider a donation to the Live Like Megan Foundation, which Megan's family started after her death.

The foundation honors Megan's life by working to accomplish 3 things:

1. Provide scholarships each year to graduating Chenango Valley High School seniors in Binghamton.
2. Support the research of Dr. Kris Ann Schultz at Children's Minnesota Hospital, who researches Megan's specific type of rare cancer, Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumor.
3. Support families local to Binghamton who have a child battling cancer.