Community events to honor the life of Aidan Fischer, 23, include blood drive and fundraiser

The Northport-East Northport community continues its rally in honor of Aidan Fischer, a 23-year-old graduate of Northport High School who passed away from leukemia last month.  

A blood drive in Fischer’s memory will be held at the Northport Yacht Club on May 20. On June 1, from 11:45am to 6pm, multiple community events will be held in his honor, and to show support for the Fischer family. 

“We didn’t have the chance to meet Aidan unfortunately, but we wanted to do something meaningful in his honor,” Tiffany Asadourian of RB Homes Realty told the Journal. She and her husband Arbi had been planning a fundraiser in memory of Tiffany’s father Larry, who passed away from leukemia in 2020, with the goal of donating all proceeds to a local family currently facing the same battle. 

“In the process, I was introduced to one of Aidan’s lifelong friends, Melanie [Formosa]. She’s truly wonderful – we’ve become friends, and I can see how special their bond is,” she said. The Asadourians are working closely with Formosa – who has known Fischer since they were three years old –  to create a day that celebrates Fischer’s life and spirit.

Asadourian and Formosa also reached out to Northport High School’s marching band director, Lynn Cromeyn, and together decided to open the district’s 64th annual music and art festival in Northport Village Park, happening on June 1 as well, with a drumline cadence (Fischer was in drumline; his younger brother Donovan currently is as well). The fundraiser will follow at RB Home Realty’s Scudder Avenue location and will include a cornhole tournament, raffle baskets, an art show and a mobile blood drive. There will also be live music, food and refreshments. 

“I want this to be a celebration of Aidan’s life,” Formosa said. She’s hoping friends and the larger community will stop by throughout the day, and enjoy some of the things Fischer did, including his music. A DJ for Stony Brook’s WUSB station (90.1 FM), Formosa dedicated an entire show to Fischer this past Monday, April 28. She’s working on getting bands to perform at the June 1 event, to showcase Fischer’s musical leanings (he loved bands like the Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Creed). Bandmates from the rock band Razor’s Edge, for which Fischer played drums, will also perform, Formosa said.  

It’s only been two weeks since Fischer passed, and his death doesn’t quite seem real yet; planning the June 1 celebration of life is helping Formosa process the loss of one of her oldest friends: “I just really want to keep him alive,” she said. 

On April 18, Michael Comerchero, Fischer’s former martial arts instructor and longtime family friend, posted news about Fischer’s death: “I can’t even put into words what everyone is feeling. [Aidan] fought so hard, for three years, in his battle with cancer, especially in the last year when things became very difficult. When I met him as a 5-year-old, I knew this kid was a fighter. When I saw him yesterday, hours before he passed, my opinion of him was the same: the absolute toughest person I have ever known. He fought for his parents, he fought for his brother, Donovan, he fought for his fiancée, Bailee… all before he fought for himself. That’s Aidan. Selfless.”

In an April 29 update on Fischer’s GoFundMe page, posted just a couple days after Fischer was laid to rest, Comerchero offered some words to those who wanted to honor him:

“Continue to carry on Aidan’s legacy,” he said. “Love each other, take care of one another, and help each other. Be the reason someone else’s day ends better than it began. That's what Aidan did, every single day. That's how we honor him.” 

Those wishing to can continue to honor Aidan Fischer’s memory by donating to his GoFundMe page here. The May 20 blood drive at the Northport Yacht Club will take place from 3 to 7:30pm.  For more information and to register, click here. Sign up for RB Realty’s June 1 cornhole tournament and fundraiser here. All proceeds will go to the Fischer family. Artists looking to submit artwork to “Art for Aidan” show (the theme is Love, Hope, Strength, Courage) should text 646-825-1384 for details.