‘Haley’s Comets’ honored for 5,000 blood donations during December drive 

Greenhouse Café, 7717 Third Ave., hosted a blood drive Dec. 29 in memory of Haley Daquara, daughter of Bobby Daquara, the eatery’s owner.

Haley was diagnosed with Hurler syndrome when she was six months old and died in 2013 at age 10.

Since 2009, Daquara and his family have organized about five drives a year. He refers to the cause as “Haley’s Comets.”

A blood donation van was parked outside the restaurant where 96 people donated throughout the day.

During the drive, Daquara and Haley’s Comets were honored by the New York Blood Center and Borough President Antonio Reynoso for achieving the milestone of 5,000 blood donations.

“I think everybody is a winner with it,” Daquara told this paper. “The people in New York City are winners because they have a steady blood supply. When people come in to donate in memory of my daughter, I think it’s a feel-good situation, and they’re very dedicated to it. So many of the same donors come in all the time. We do five drives a year, and I’m going to say most of them go four to five drives.”

Before each drive, the organization hangs up about 50 banners between Third and Fourth avenues, which has attracted first-time donors. 

“I don’t know how many first-time donors we had this time but in the October drive, we had five,” he said. “Once they’re a donor and realize it’s easy to do, they normally continue to donate sometimes for the rest of their lives. It means a lot.”

Daquara said that they have had around 85 drives so far. The only time they didn’t do five drives in a year was during COVID in 2020. They have held extra drives during Superstorm Sandy or other times when there was an urgent need for blood.

“We as a restaurant group support the community because they support us all year long business-wise, and they support us with the blood drive, so we try to be involved with anything going on in Bay Ridge,” he said. “It’s a heartwarming thing when people are coming out time after time to help out a good cause, and they’ve done it for years now.”

The day included giveaways put together by the restaurant, New York Blood Center and Vitamin Shop. 

He discussed Haley’s journey throughout the disease.

“When she had a bone marrow transplant in 2003, she required a lot of white blood cells and a lot of platelets,” he said. “When you get a transplant like that, they strip your blood of any cells, and then they have to reintroduce them. She required a lot of that. Just before she passed, she required plasma. And they use plasma mostly when someone is on blood thinners, and if they need an emergency surgery, you can’t bring someone to it without having plasma introduced, because they might bleed to death. Plasma thickens up the blood.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, the disease is caused by a deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme, IUDA, which aids in the breakdown of dermatan sulfate and heparin sulfate.

Daquara also stated that she had a major impact when she was alive. 

“She passed away in 2013, but we started them in 2009 so she would come to the drives and participate and talk to people and tell them how important it was saving her life,” he said. “My daughter was very well taken care of by a lot of the major hospitals in New York City, North Carolina and on Long Island. It’s amazing. She could’ve passed away when she was less than a year old, and she passed away at 10, but they were 10 wonderful years. She made a big impact in the 10 years she was here.”

The New York Blood Center’s certificate to Haley’s Comets stated that, “This feat of civic responsibility has supported the needs of thousands of hospital patients and has contributed to our community’s strength and resiliency. Only three percent of people in the United States give blood, although 100 percent of people may one day need it. 

“It’s for this reason that New York Blood Center recognizes the hard work and generosity of Kelly and Bobby Daquara, through the Haley’s Comets at Greenhouse Cafe blood drives, in recruiting and supporting eligible blood donors to help save lives.”

“Whereas, on behalf of all Brooklynites, I recognize Haley’s Comets at Greenhouse Cafe for their noble service to our borough,” read the Citation by Reynoso. “I honor the memory of Haley Daquara and the love, care, and generosity that lives on in her name; I thank them for their dedication to this urgent, life-saving work, which has made a profound impact on so many; I celebrate their commitment to public health, community care, and the preservation of life.”