In its 25th year, Acton blood drive keeps Nick Ressler’s memory alive
This year’s event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 10 at the Beede Swim & Fitness Center.
A single blood donation yields about a pint of life-giving fluid — and Nick Ressler needed hundreds.
His mother, Pam Ressler, estimates it took more than 300 blood donations to help sustain Nick, buying him as many bonus days as possible before a rare form of bile duct cancer cut short his life in 2001 at age 14.
While Nick was undergoing treatment, Cindy Tenner, a family friend who has since died, organized two blood drives on his behalf with the Massachusetts General Hospital Blood Mobile. Nick benefited from the first but died the week before the second drive took place. With the family’s approval, Tenner went ahead with the drive, holding it in Nick’s honor.
The following year, the Nick Ressler Blood Drive became an annual event. On October 10, it returns for its 25th consecutive year. Organizers say it has helped more than 3,500 people.
A social event
One pint at a time, the clinic on wheels collects blood while people gather outside, often with coffee in hand, for a moment to connect.
“They make it an incredibly positive, festive experience,” said Pat Brewer, a 73-year-old Concordian who is a regular donor at the drive. “People show up early and hang around even after they’re done donating, just to chat.”
Kathy Booth, another longtime blood donor and friend of the Ressler family, called the day “a chance to say hi to neighbors and people you probably hadn’t seen in a little while.” She has attended every year since the drive began and said she returns because “it’s painless and easy and important.”
Over the years, the blood drive has been held in a variety of locations, shifted to different times of year, and weathered changes, including the Covid-19 pandemic. What has remained consistent, Pam Ressler said, is people’s willingness to give.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, we fill all the slots that we have available,” Pam said, referring to the roughly 50 appointments open to donors. She expects the same this year.
Robin Mahrouk, nurse manager for the Mass General Hospital Blood Donor Center, said the bloodmobile travels to scheduled events most days, but the Nick Ressler Blood Drive stands out.
“They get a large amount of donors that show up,” she said, adding that the turnout may reflect the drive’s tradition and the community’s support for the Ressler family.
For first-time blood donors worried about the process, Mahrouk described it as “a little pinch.”
“Our techs are amazing at what they do,” she said. “They do it all day long, so they’re really good at it.”
Booth said the experience is nearly painless. “Bumping into the door at home is going to hurt you more than this,” she said.
The Ressler family has remained rooted in Acton. Nick’s two sisters have become mothers, and his parents have become grandparents. Nick would have turned 40 on September 29.
“The tragedy of losing a child is still there,” Pam Ressler said. “But we’re very grateful for the people who are continuing to show up for those who need blood now. And that hasn’t changed in 25 years.”
This year’s event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 10 at the Beede Swim & Fitness Center, 498 Walden Street. Donors may sign up at bit.ly/NickRessler1010.
This story was written by a journalism student in BU’s Newsroom program, a partnership among the university, The Acton Bridge, and other news organizations in the Boston area.
