Blood Drive for Joseph Toomey

Saraland Satsuma It is a Happy New Year for a Saraland teenger who took a giant step forward in his recovery from a car crash that left him paralyzed.

by Debbie Williams

Published: Mon, December 31, 2007 - 5:00 pm CST

The Satsuma football player who was paralyzed in a car crash last month, will ring in the New Year by celebrating a major step in his recovery.
Doctors have taken Joseph Toomey off his ventilator.
Friends, family and Toomey's teammates have come together again to help the teenager on his road to recovery.
Blood drives are nothing new this time of year, but this one is different. "It has brought the community together a lot of people closer which has been wonderful," says Tina Wimberly as she lies on a cot recovering from donating a pint.
This drive is personal for folks living Saraland and Satsuma, it's in honor of one of their own. "To support Joseph Toomey," says Wimberly,
Barbara Cave is Toomey's grandmother or as he calls her, Nana. "He has gotten better everyday wiggling his fingers and he has feelings in his legs."
He was paralyzed in a car crash and has been in a hospital ever since. Cave says he never needed any blood, "There were many other things the family needed that were not there for him and miraculously people came from all over, strangers, friends, and just handed these things over."
Now those strangers and friends are coming together again to help the teenager that refuses to give up.
"Everybody loves Joseph it's been awesome everybody is real supportive of him," says schoolmate Erica Harrelson.
His grandmother says when Toomey heard there would be a blood drive in his honor, he was proud. That pride she says is helping him get better. "I just believe Joseph is going to walk he says he's going to run out of Shepherd and I believe it."
Toomey remains in Shepherd Center in Atlanta. His parents are keeping everyone up to date on his progress through a blog at www.caringbridge.org.
Today's Lifesouth blood drive collected a record amount of blood, 79 units. Lifesouth spokesperson Rhonda Roebuck says mobile blood drives usually collect twenty to twenty-five units. All of the blood will be used at area hospitals in this immediate area.

WKRG.com » News Stream » Alabama