'Long Road Ahead': Family Of Injured Bishop Feehan Hockey Player Overwhelmed By Support
ATTLEBORO (CBS) - A journey has just begun for A.J. Quetta and his family after the Bishop Feehan hockey player suffered a serious injury during a game Tuesday night.
Bishop Feehan High School President Tim Sullivan spoke with A.J.'s mother and got an update on the senior's status. "A.J. was moved to Boston last night, MGH," Sullivan said. "And had a surgery last night. And according to doctors it was a successful surgery- it went well. But she also shared it's a long road ahead."
In 24 hours, a GoFundMe page raised more than $375,000 to help with Quetta's medical expenses. According to the page, A.J. "might not be able to move his body again."
Sullivan said, "I spoke to Mrs. Quetta this morning. She asked me to share, for anyone listening, that that support has meant the world to them, it's helped them get through this."
The Greg Hill Foundation held an on-air fundraiser for Quetta on WEEI Thursday morning. As of 5pm, they've raised close to $100,000, including a big contribution from Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Hill said, "It was exciting because we were talking about it and five minutes later he had made it clear he wanted to match everyone's donations up to $25,000 dollars."
???? @Bmarch63 hangs of up the jersey of injured Bishop Feehan hockey player A.J. Quetta behind the #NHLBruins bench at @tdgarden before tonight's game #WBZ @wbz @NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/k4wDpwWkPv
— Joe Giza (@JoeGiza) January 28, 2021
Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy shared, "My kids play. Your biggest fear. I don't know what to say other than we wish him a speedy recovery," adding, "Anything the Bruins can do for A.J. we will do."
Before the Bruins game against the Penguins Thursday night, Brad Marchand hung AJ's jersey behind the bench. The Bruins pledged to donate at least $100,000.
Matt Brown knows all too well what that support means, and the challenges that may lie ahead for A.J. Quetta.
Brown was paralyzed during a hockey game back in 2010 as a sophomore at Norwood High School. Now, the Matt Brown Foundation helps support others with spinal cord injuries.
"They're going to run into things they're going to need money for," Brown said. "You know medical expenses; they're going to redo parts of the house probably. It is an expensive injury."
When given the choice, the Bishop Feehan hockey team decided they want to play in their scheduled game on Friday at 5pm vs. Austin Prep, calling themselves "A.J.'s Army."
Sullivan said, "They're going to be skating with that banner tomorrow. They're going to have the patch on their helmets. There's this real desire to help."