Giving back by giving blood sparks effort to honor Heather McNamara

In a too-brief life, Heather McNamara endured one cancer treatment and blood transfusion after another, all the while staying focused on doing whatever she could to help others.

She did it by serving as an emergency medical technician, youth group volunteer or as a champion for blood donations.

McNamara, 22, of Islip Terrace, died in June from a chronic illness linked to a cancerous tumor surgeons removed when she was 7 years old.

Six months later, McNamara's family, and the New York Blood Center, have harnessed her spirit of giving by offering a $2,500 academic scholarship and asking others to do the same, in the form of donated blood.

The scholarship, announced by the blood center as part of GivingTuesday, will be awarded to students who exhibit community service and leadership through participation in blood drives.

The first scholarship was awarded Tuesday to Heather’s sister, Stephanie McNamara, 25, during a ceremony at the Islip Terrace Fire Department where she serves with her father.

Heather McNamara was a volunteer EMT and had designs on becoming a paramedic.

Stephanie McNamara is a student at Long Island University and has applied for its College of Veterinary Medicine.

Another $2,500 scholarship will be awarded in the spring to a high school senior or undergraduate student. Stephanie McNamara said the scholarship embodies her sister.

"Heather loved being part of bigger causes. She, herself, was a bigger cause," Stephanie McNamara said. "Everything that she stood for, this scholarship and the New York Blood Center, enables people, it saves lives, but it enables people to make themselves save lives."

The scholarship announcement came a week before what would have been Heather McNamara's birthday, and also amid a critical time for blood donations. There has been a 25% drop in community blood drives since the COVID-19 pandemic and a 50% drop in giving from blood donors between the ages of 16 and 24, said Michele Lariviere, the center's senior director of donor recruitment.

As a child, McNamara became the smiling face of the center, printed on trucks, signage and promotional materials.

McNamara's mother, Tina, described her as "a little miracle" following a lifesaving surgery when she was 7 years old to remove a cancerous tumor the size of a tennis ball. She went home and returned to school in 2009 after doctors had to remove six of her organs.

She went on to graduate from East Islip High School and volunteered with Exchange Ambulance of the Islips. 

McNamara also played an integral role in spreading the need for donations, said Doreen Fiscina, business development manager for the blood center. As a teenager, McNamara desperately wanted to donate blood but her medical condition prevented it.

"She was such a voice for the New York Blood Center and an advocate for donating blood," Fiscina said. "I think Heather was a giver and was someone if she saw someone in need of something, she made it her mission and her priority to find a way to help you."

Blood donations plummet every December, when there is a critical need for blood, Fiscina said.

"Donations help us to ensure we have a safe blood supply for area hospitals and the last two weeks of December are the most critical time in the new year," Fiscina said. "We depend on community group and donors to help us through this difficulty time."

Stephanie McNamara said she hopes her sister’s legacy shows the direct impact of donating blood and will help keep her memory alive.

"I wish that she was here to see it, but it makes me proud to see how incredible her life had been in a short period of time, and what an impact just 20 years, she can make on so many people," she said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.