Paralyzed Teen To Raise Money For Driver Critically Injured In Arborway Crash
BOSTON (CBS) - Mark Delamere has the look of determination, building upper body strength during sessions twice a week at Regan's Motivated Fitness in South Boston. It's strength he needs since a car crash left the 15-year-old paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. "You have to turn it around, make everything new. It's pretty much being born again," he tells WBZ-TV.
Last September, three days into the school year at Boston Latin Academy, he was one of three passengers in a car that slammed into a pickup truck on the Arborway in Jamaica Plain. Not only has Mark's recovery been life changing, but the driver of the truck, 34-year-old Kevin Cellucci, was critically injured and remains hospitalized. His wife Tina Cellucci writes on a Facebook page dedicated to Kevin, "Kevin is considered minimally conscious. It is unknown how far he will come in his recovery. We will continue to take it one day at a time and pray for a miracle."
Mark Delamere says he wants to give something to Cellucci and help him in his recovery, so he's doing what he knows best, organizing a street hockey tournament being called the Kevin Cellucci Classic. It'll be held June 21st at Roslindale's Fallon Field, where teams will pay to play and all the proceeds go to the Cellucci family. Delamere hopes to raise as much as $20,000. "The only thing I have left to do is walk," Delamere says. "My recovery is fine, but he needs help."
Delamere is getting assistance from his best friend, 14-year-old Joey O'Leary, another passenger in the car who was also injured and is taking strength from watching Delamere's own recovery. "He's wicked tough, I don't know anyone as tough as he is," says O'Leary.
The two teens came up with the idea while they were attending a sweet sixteen birthday party, thinking about Cellucci who is the father of three young boys. "I hope he'll be able to make it to his kids' sixteenth birthdays," said Delamere.
He received so much community help after the accident that Delamere says this is one way to pay it forward, knowing recovery takes a lot of support.
The tournament consists of four age groups: Ages 3-5 and 6-8 should email jmdonahue@rcn.com, ages 9-11 email kasantangelo@aol.com, ages 12-13 email reginariley15@gmail.com, high schoolers email cathyo@comcast.net.
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