Blood Drive Honors Central NJ Heroes on 25th Anniversary of 9/11

On Sept. 10, 2001, Thomas Gorman of Middlesex donated blood at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset where he was a long-time blood donor. The next day, the police officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey lost his life trying to save others following the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center.

His brother, John, of South Plainfield, was an executive for Citibank who worked on the 81^st floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower. He survived the Sept. 11 attack and spent days afterward in Lower Manhattan searching for his brother. John died in 2016 at the age of 52 from cancer, an illness attributed to his exposure to toxins in the air following the collapse of the Twin Towers.

As the nation marks the 25^th anniversary of the terrorist attack, the Gorman family is partnering with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, for a special blood drive honoring Thomas and John. The blood drive will be held Thursday, Sept. 10 and Friday, Sept. 11 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the hospital's Steeplechase Cancer Center, 30 Rehill Ave., Somerville.

"I hope those who can join us will donate. And for those who cannot, I hope you will consider donating blood wherever you live in memory of Tom and John, in memory of someone whose name or story you carry, or simply in honor of all those whose lives were lost or forever changed by September 11," said Theresa Gorman Creedon, of Basking Ridge, Tom and John's sister. "Donate in their memory. Donate to help someone you may never meet. Donate to transform remembrance into an act that can give life to someone else. Twenty-five years later, perhaps that is one way we keep moving forward while never forgetting."

In addition to their sister, Tom and John are survived by their 94-year-old mother, Theresa of East Hanover, six children and 12 grandchildren. Their father, Edward, a 28-year veteran of the Bayonne Fire Department, died in 2018, 20 months after his son John. He never recovered from the grief of losing his two sons, his daughter says, making him another victim of Sept. 11.

Over the past 25 years, the Gorman family has held several blood drives in memory of John and Tom at RWJUH Somerset. A cross made from steel from the World Trade Center was dedicated to Tom's memory in a ceremony at the hospital in 2003 and is proudly displayed in the hospital's Blood Donor Room.

"We are so grateful to the Gorman family for their support of our Blood Donor Program over the past 25 years," said Deirdre Blaus, Chief Administrative Officer, RWJUH Somerset. "This blood drive is such a wonderful tribute to Tom and John's legacy because it will help to save many lives in our community. It will be especially impactful this year as it comes amidst a nationwide blood shortage when donations are critically needed."

One of only a few hospital-run programs of its kind in the state, RWJUH Somerset's Blood Donor Program relies on the support of volunteer blood donors to provide most of the blood used annually at the hospital. Blood is used for cancer treatments and may be needed by patients following surgery, childbirth or a traumatic event which has caused serious injuries, such as a car accident.

Blood donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health.

All donors at the Gorman family blood drive will receive a Shop-Rite gift card. To schedule an appointment, go to giveblood.rwjbh.org or call 908-685-2926.