MASSENA -- A Dec. 15 blood drive in Massena will be in honor of a local boy who was seriously injured in an accident last summer, requiring blood transfusions.

Last August, 12-year-old Christian Harvey of Massena was enjoying a beautiful summer day playing in his family’s pool when a terrible accident happened. The J.W. Leary Junior High School student fractured two vertebrae and damaged his spinal cord.

He was airlifted to a Vermont hospital where he underwent emergency surgery on his spine. During the surgery, he received blood transfusions.

His mother, Heather Harvey, works at a hospital and knows first-hand how important it is to have blood available, especially when there is an emergency.

“I have seen many emergency situations with pregnant mothers, car accident victims, people with gastrointestinal bleeding, and chemotherapy patients. So many people have received this gift and in many cases it’s saved their lives or helped make them stronger to endure other treatments,” she said in a prepared statement from Red Cross. “Donating blood is something very close to my heart, because my father who passed away seven years ago donated blood throughout his life.”

The blood drive will be Thursday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Massena American Legion, 40 East Orvis St. People can make appointments at redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-733-2767. The sponsor keyword is CourageforChristian.