By Christine M. Quirk — Christine@concordbridge.org
When Nick Ressler was a middle schooler, he had a leading role in a local youth play. He was in the middle of rehearsals when life changed abruptly and tragically: He was diagnosed with a rare form of bile duct cancer.
“[He] persevered and gave a great performance,” Sean Kavanagh, who directed that play, told The Concord Bridge in an email. “He was an example to his cast members and an inspiration to me. I’ve been riding the Pan Mass Challenge in Nick’s honor for 23 years.”
One reason Nick could continue with the play was the blood transfusions he received, and to honor his memory, and his family has been holding an annual blood drive for more than two decades. This year’s drive is on September 21.
Nick’s mom, Pam Ressler, said that before Nick became sick, she had no idea cancer patients needed so much blood. When Nick died in 2001 at 14, he had used blood from more than 300 donors.
“We learned it’s not just trauma and accident victims,” she said. “People going through chemotherapy and transplants use a phenomenal amount of blood.”
Wide-reaching benefits
Donations are facilitated through the Massachusetts General Hospital Blood Mobile, as that’s where Nick underwent treatment.
“Each unit of blood goes to three people,” Ressler said. “We did some back-of-the-envelope calculations, and we estimate that since 2001, 3,300 people have benefited from the blood drive.”
The drive started before Nick passed away. Cindy Tenner, the Resslers’ neighbor, realized that though many were willing to donate, it was difficult for some people to get into Boston, so Tenner investigated having the bloodmobile come to Concord.
There was an “overwhelming turnout” at that first drive, and a second date was booked. When Nick passed away just a week before that, his parents asked the drive be held anyway to help others in Nick’s memory.
“That was the beginning of an annual tradition of this amazing gift of life,” Tenner said.
Nick loved Concord, his mom said, and the town showed its love in return.
“The Concord community and the school community just rallied around him,” she said.
Nick’s ‘smiling face’
Ressler said they try to make the blood drive a “fun community event” and have many repeat donors, including those who didn’t know Nick personally.
One such donor is Adrienne St. John, who, after reading about Nick’s need in the newspaper, stopped by the first drive to donate.
“I was sad to read later that Nick had passed, but was moved that Pam and Paul continued to support MGH with a blood drive the following year in his memory,” she said. “I’ve been donating ever since, and it’s been nice to catch up annually with Pam to hear about their daughters and now their grandchildren.”
Tenner agreed.
“Longtime community members linger for a cup of coffee and fondly remember Nick by wearing the pins with his photo on them,” she said.
Spanning the globe
Those “Nick pins,” it turns out, have traveled the world.
“I wear his pin on my jersey and think of him when I get tired on the long hills,” Kavanagh said. “I carry pins with me, and I’ve given them to other riders. … In that way, Nick has visited all the continents, the South Pole, Everest, and more.”
Nick loved The Beatles, and last year, when Kavanagh traveled to Liverpool, he took Nick with him. He left one on the Penny Lane sign and, at the Beatles Museum, took a picture of another on the lapel of a Sgt. Pepper jacket.
“The founders of the museum were so touched that they gave me a book about the museum and inscribed it with a dedication to Nick,” Kavanagh said. “They also sponsored my PMC ride.”
Family and friends
As the years have gone by, Nick’s sisters, Kim and Jen, have married and had children of their own who know all the stories about their Uncle Nick.
“Of course, we miss Nick terribly, but he would be proud of this legacy,” Ressler said. “He just wanted to be a kid and go to school, and because of the transfusions, he was able to do that.”
In the early days, Nick’s friends were too young to donate. But on turning 16, the first year they could donate with parental permission, many came with their folks as parent/child teams.
“A few of his friends still live in the area,” Ressler said. “One still donates every year. Nick would be 37, and she comes faithfully. We feel very good about his legacy.”
This year’s event will be held from 8:30 a.m to 2 p.m., Saturday, September 21, at the Beede Center, 498 Walden Street. Donors may sign up at bit.ly/Ressler3.
