Father of 'Miracle' Local Boy to Hold Bone Marrow Drive

Jake Santoriella, of Mahopac, had pulled a "hat trick" – scoring three consecutive goals at an ice hockey game in Brewster, but two weeks later he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

The doctors told his parents Cristina and Robert, a 1984 Somers High School graduate, their son was going to die – something no parent ever wants to hear. 

"It was like a ton of bricks," Santoriella said of the moment he heard the diagnosis. 

That was two years ago.

Today Jake, 10, who this year celebrated his second anniversary of being cancer free on Oct. 21, is alive and healthy thanks to a bone marrow transplant from his fraternal twin brother Chase.

The chances of having a stranger be a match is one in 10 million, the boys' father said. Chase, whom his father described as a "brilliant, confident and strong" boy, would eagerly stick out his arm to get all the tests done and help out his brother.

"It was a perfect match," Santoriella said. "It's a miracle. They’re still too young to realize what they did together. They beat the big giant – they beat cancer. They can do anything."

Throughout the family's journey, the outpouring of support from family, friends and even people they never met, has been incredible. The family would put out prayer requests on Facebook for Jake when thousands of people would stop whatever they were doing and pray – including a man who told Santoriella he made his limo driver stop on his wedding day so he could pray for Jake. 

And a doctor from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where Jake was being treated, who on the day of the New York City Marathon heard that Jake had been feeling better and was cheering for the nurses and doctors from his hospital room, gave him his medal.

"It’s in his spirit," Santoriella said of his son Jake. "Nothing gets in his way. That’s why he is my warrior."

There was one thing though the Santoriella family did not have to go through as others did – go to the computer room to check the registry list for a bone marrow match. 

"I watched so many parents check the marrow registry online every morning only to find that there was no life saving match that day for their little boy or girl and I watched them walk away from that hospital computer in tears," he said. 

Although his son does not need a bone marrow transplant, Santoriella, a lawyer and published author, holds bone marrow drives to help get people registered on the bone marrow registry.  

"One of the coolest things you could ever do is save a life," he said. 

Santoriella is hosting a bone marrow drive this Sunday, Oct. 28 at the Mahopac Fire House. There will be clay and sand arts, music, a silent auction ad raffles from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for the kids while he swabs adults, ages 19 to 55. 

The man said there are misconceptions about bone marrow transplants and he wants to make sure people know it's not time consuming or painful and there are no side effects.

"Nobody knows enough about this," he said. "I wasn't on the registry list before Jake got sick."

The bone marrow drive will be held on Sunday, Oct. 28 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mahopac Firehouse. At the same time the "Crafts for a Cure" fundraiser will benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

If you can't make it to the "Crafts for a Cure" event but would like to make a donation, visit Jake's 'Light The Night Walk' page.

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