PASCACK VALLEY—Englewood Hospital published the best lead-in to this story, in its 2006 annual report: “‘I think he’s going to be something great,’ predicts Dan Cannon of his first-born child, Brendan Patrick. Dan has every reason to expect an outstanding future for his son. Born six weeks early [in December 2006] with complications that placed him on the critical list—including a tear in his intestines that required life-saving surgery, a dangerous infection and high blood pressure—Brendan is now happy and healthy at home with Mom and Dad. Expert caregivers provided world-class care to his Mom, Jennifer, from the beginning of her troubled pregnancy, through delivery and during a difficult recovery, and to Brendan.”
While in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), young Brendan received many blood transfusions and lots of platelets, which his little body was not making on its own.
His survival—his thriving life since, and the promise of more to come—is a success story of the highest order.
This year, Brendan Patrick Cannon, a junior at St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale and an Eagle Scout candidate from BSA Troop 47 in Westwood, embarked on a mission to give back to the very community that saved his life 17 years ago—and is a hero to babies and families he might never meet.
According to his mom, Jennifer, business administrator for Church of St. John the Baptist Church in Hillsdale; and his dad, Dan—manager of Blue Foundry Bank in Hillsdale and Rochelle Park—Brendan went all out for Eagle.
His project, which included a blood drive, a Super Bowl hero fundraiser, and making knot blankets for NICU babies, culminated on Saturday, March 9, when he handed off lovingly organized gifts to the NICU, and shared hugs with nurse Carol Kaufmann—the point person for NICU donations and the nurse who was on duty the second night of Brendan’s life, when he “crashed and almost died”—and nurses Sue Dziemian and Ann Nestman.
Brendan was given a tour of the NICU, where he saw, among other things, “his” corner by the window, where he spent the first 63 days of his life.
“We are all so happy and proud for you to have made such an accomplishment, and humbled that you included us in it! Godspeed, Brendan,” said Kaufmann.
She added, “No one [in the NICU] can stop talking about how wonderful it is that you kept your NICU beginning close to your heart.”
The scout’s first focus, with the help of Vitalant of Montvale (which supplies blood to Englewood Hospital), and their account manager, Victor Silvestri, was a blood drive held on Feb. 3 at Westwood Community Center.
Silvestri was impressed with the turnout and thanked Brendan “for all of your efforts in hosting an extremely successful blood drive,” which yielded 56 blood units. “To put that into perspective, every unit of blood donated saves up to three lives, so your blood drive could help save the lives of approximately 168 hospital patients,” Silvestri told him.
To recruit donors, said Jennifer, Brendan and his team of scouts distributed more than 550 flyers outside of Goldberg’s Bagels in Westwood, Fresh Grocer in Washington Township, and following each of four Sunday Masses on Jan. 20–21 at St. John the Baptist Church in Hillsdale. Just prior to the masses, Brendan addressed the congregation, inviting them to donate blood and participate in his Super Bowl hero fundraiser.
He thanked the parishioners again for the support, love and prayers he and his parents received 17 years earlier—many of those parishioners are still there, and remembered.
The responses poured in! Almost 70 people registered to donate blood, and many more pre-ordered heroes. Brendan wanted to feed people in his fundraiser and did just that. He and his scouts pre-sold 122 heroes, far surpassing his original goal of 40, and then, with the help of Bill Flynn from Flynn’s Deli in Westwood, they spent a couple hours on Super Bowl Sunday morning making them all. “The whole production was so well organized, and the heroes were delicious,” said Sean Mullen, a scout dad.
With the proceeds received from the fundraiser, and also from free-will donations, Brendan had plenty of funds to embark on the final portion of his project: making knot blankets for the NICU babies.
“The process to make each blanket took a lot longer than I had anticipated, but they came out great, and we had fun making them,” said Brendan.
On March 9 Brendan and his fellow scouts and their parents gathered at the NICU to deliver the final two pieces of his months-long Eagle project: 41 blankets and a check for more than $1,600: the donations less project expenses..
The NICU was bursting at the seams with 14 babies that day, but still four of the nurses who had cared for Brendan back in 2007—and Dr. Carlin, head neonatologist—took a moment to stand with Brendan and celebrate his accomplishment.
Westwood BSA troops 47 and 47G have their Court of Honor ceremony on Saturday, June 1 at 11 a.m. at Westwood United Methodist Church, 105 Fairview Ave.
Alphabetically, the scouts who anticipate being honored are Brendan Cannon, Kaitlin Brill, Konnor Hansen, Nicholas Rosado, Sienna Fenu, and Tanush Tammanagoudar.
— Jennifer Cannon and John Snyder