BROOKFIELD, Wis. — As a way to celebrate the memory of their son and brother after his untimely death, one local family is spreading his message of giving through a special blood drive.
“He was the most amazing person and it was his goal in life to help people,” said Lola Perelman.
Shortly after the passing of her older brother Daniel in a plane crash last spring, Lola Perelman and her family created Daniel Gives Back, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the causes the 18-year-old championed throughout his life.
Related: Parents of young pilot launch non-profit after their son dies in Wauwatosa plane crash
A big way they’ve been able to do that is through good deeds, or mitzvahs, like blood drives, including one at Brookfield East, Lola’s high school.
“It [a mitzvah] is where you do something good for someone and the blood drive in itself, when you donate blood, is a huge mitzvah because you're helping so many people,” said Perelman.
Lola says the reason they decided to do a blood drive was to highlight just how much Daniel liked to give back to others as well.
“He was a freshman at Northwestern University and he was planning on going to med school and becoming a doctor of some sort because his passion was helping people. He was actually an organ donor as well and saved four lives in his passing,” said Perelman.
As they celebrate Daniel’s life and mourn his loss, Lola says her family finds solace in pushing forward.
“My point of life right now is to just spread what he wanted, spread his goal,” said Perelman. “Whatever small thing you can do to help somebody around you; that's the way that you can honor Daniel, by helping people.”
If you would like to get involved, click here.
