A blood drive through the American Red Cross is being held from 1 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9 at the Mystic Hilton on Coogan Boulevard in Old Mystic. The blood drive is in celebration of the memory of Oliver Brown, who would have been 14 years old on this day. He passed away on Nov. 2, 2019 from a rare blood cancer that only infects four out of a million children worldwide. His family — mother Nichola (Nicky), father Mike and younger brother Benjamen — are from Plymouth, England, and are hosting the blood drive,

England’s ministry of defense, during the summer of 2021 arranged for the Brown family to relocate in Mystic. Oliver’s father is a marine engineer collaborating with Electric Boat in Groton.

When asked why they decided to have the blood drive, Oliver’s family responded with heart, “It’s what Oliver would have done!”

For a family that has suffered such a tremendous loss, they seemed incredibly upbeat and spoke with pride about their son’s adventurous, compassionate, proud and giving life that had so much pain and was too short.

They said. “He was a good person, always trying help out anyway he could. He never let his cancer control him. He cherished every moment of every day.” Nicky said, “Oliver didn’t avoid challenges. He was audacious and ready with a great sense of humor that was rather cheeky.”

Benjamen, who was often the brunt of his brother’s humor, called him, “Sir prank a lot.”

Oliver was born with a rare genetic defect that made him deaf when he was born. He learned to communicate with English sign language.

The genetic disorder plagued him with infections throughout his his early years. During his eighth year, he was diagnosed with melodsplastic syndrome. After months of chemotherapy it went into remission and things returned to normalcy. But the cancer kept returning. For three years he received several surgeries including two stem cell replacements and had over 100 blood and platelet transfusions. This was also why the Browns’ organized the blood drive to give others the gift of life.

When the cancer returned in May 2019 there was nothing the doctors could do. They said he only had weeks left. But, possibly due to his lust for live; Oliver lived for another five months.

Throughout it all, Oliver was pleasant and spry. He signed his medical treatment consent forms, Lord Oliver Brown OBE.

His family and countless others made his final days fun and exciting. He enjoyed many different and spiriting experiences. He went zip lining, motorcycling, for a helicopter ride, hosted a radio show, presented the news for the BBC, visited Harry Potter Studios. Oliver had always wanted to be a policeman. He was beside himself when he got to spend a day with the Devon and Cromwell police when they were on duty. He accomplished all of these activities and many more.

His mother said, “Oliver was a thrill seeker. If not for him, I would have have never done the daring things we did together.”

His father said, “Oliver believed in fairness and equality and playing by the rules. He’d root for one team first half at a rugby match and for the other second half. He may not have been a great athlete. But he made a great referee.”

If someone asked how he was doing, Oliver would always reply, “I’m fine.”

He brought happiness wherever he went.

Some of his likes were rugby, music, protecting the environment, (he was in his school’s ECO team to help make their school more earth-friendly), and especially helping people. This unique, amazing boy had an enormous heart that people warmed to. Throughout his short life, he put aside his sickness and lived everyday courageously, with compassion, respect and always looking ahead. A blood drive is something he would be motivated to do.

Oliver’s incredible bravery and his crisp, cheeky humor, were all part of his bold and unending passion for life.