Donations Pour In For Seriously Injured Bishop Feehan Hockey Player AJ Quetta
ATTLEBORO (CBS) - Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been donated to help pay the medical expenses for Bishop Feehan High School Senior and hockey player AJ Quetta, who was seriously hurt during a game on Tuesday.
Quetta, 18, was playing for the Shamrocks against Pope Francis in West Springfield when he crashed headfirst into the boards. He may never walk or skate again.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for Quetta's hospital bills and recovery.
"There's no playbook for this, for any of us, for our kids," said Bishop Feehan President Tim Sullivan. "To see the pain on their face meant a lot."
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, over $400,000 has been donated through the fundraising page.
By the time both teams took a knee in prayer after the injury, Quetta, who wore number 10, had been rushed to Bay State Medical Center. He was later taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Quetta underwent surgery Wednesday night.
"The outpouring of support is incredible," said Anthony Quetta, Sr. in a statement. "People have been unbelievable and my wife Nicole and I are grateful. We would like to thank the doctors, nurses and first responders for their extraordinary efforts to help our son. We can't thank everyone enough for all the heartfelt messages of support. At this time, we would appreciate everyone understanding of our family's privacy. Thank you again for keeping AJ in your prayers."
Watching an accident like that was a living nightmare for any hockey mom or dad to witness.
"Every time I see a kid go into the boards, my first thought is please, please, move your arms and legs," said one parent. "It's always in the back of your head. The boys love to play, and you just pray that it will never happen to you."
"He'll have a lot of support. The family will have a lot of support. That's kind of what hockey parents do," said another parent.
That support is also coming from hockey's highest ranks. The Boston Bruins announced Thursday the organization was donating a minimum of $100,000 to support AJ.
"Despite these tragic circumstances, it makes my family and the Boston Bruins organization very proud to see such an outpouring of support from the New England hockey community," said Boston Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs.
"AJ and his family are not alone by any means," Bruins forward Charlie Coyle said Thursday. "We know he's going to pull through it and be great. We've heard he's a strong kid and the family is as well. We're behind him and I know a lot of people are. It's great to see support when tragedy strikes, and there are brighter days ahead."
Patrick Chung of the New England Patriots posted about Quetta on Instagram, writing, "This is AJ Quetta. He got into a tragic incident on the ice that will change his life. I couldn't imagine as a parent having to deal with this. Crushes my heart man..."
Chung indicated in the post that he has already donated thousands of dollars to the GoFundMe page. And now, he's asking others to do the same.
"Whatever you can do to help with medical bills etc. $10, $20," he wrote. "$1 is good, anything from all the people that follow me and have some kind of heart. I've donated my thousands."