Those who knew him best say Michael Damato touched more lives in his short span on Earth than some do in an entire lifetime.
Michael Damato The 12-year-old boy, who passed away unexpectedly in January, was known for his infectious smile, warm personality, determination and kindness, according to his father, Ken Damato, a Sayreville War Memorial High School alumnus.
“Michael was a model boy in terms of the son, a model boy in terms of the overall citizen. He was highly active, a straight-A student, and just an all-around great kid with a warm heart,” said Ken, who now resides in Montgomery Township, Somerset County.
Michael gave his all in everything he did and never said no to a challenge, his father said. He conquered his fear of heights only a few short months before he died by opting to try a massive waterslide called the Leap of Faith in the Bahamas, and then proceeded to go down the slide another 66 times over the next two days. He also skied his first Black Diamond, a “for experts only” trail, just 10 days before an extremely rare childhood cancer unexpectedly took his life.
Michael died from rhabdomyosarcoma, also known as desmoplastic soft tissue sarcoma. With a 1 in 10 million chance of being diagnosed, there have only been some 300 cases ever recorded worldwide.
The cancer was undetectable and incurable, Ken said. Michael entered the hospital at 11 a.m. on Jan. 9 because of problems breathing, and passed away 23 hours later. It was not known what Michael succumbed to until the official autopsy results came in three months later, Ken said.
“Luckily, Michael felt no pain and had no idea how sick he really was at the time. None of us knew that he was so ill,” Ken said. “Minutes before he passed away, he was watching [ESPN’s] ‘SportsCenter’ with me in bed at the hospital, and said he was hungry and wanted pancakes for breakfast.”
Within 24 hours after Michael’s passing, his parents, Ken and Karen, both of the Sayreville class of 1988, set up a memorial fund in his honor. It was established quickly after his death so that condolences could be directed to the fund.
“We got a considerable amount of money raised in his name already, and plan on giving back to the community in a couple of ways,” Ken said.
The Michael Robert Damato Memorial Fund now has two main goals. The first is to award a $2,500 scholarship grant to a young man or woman graduating from Montgomery High School who is well rounded and demonstrates a commitment to academic excellence. The awardees are likely to be involved in sports and other extracurricular activities as well as helping others in the community.
“We think a well-rounded student is more like how Michael was,” Ken said. “He was a very well-rounded boy who had good grades, excelled in sports, and was involved in the community.”
The second way the memorial fund will be used will assist families of children with cancer, in particular those families who are experiencing financial hardships because of the treatments.
The Damatos are planning to work with the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital in New Brunswick to determine the best way to have the money get to such families, Ken said.
“We were fortunate Michael didn’t suffer. Most children aren’t that lucky,” he said. “If there’s a way we can help other families with the money raised in Michael’s memory, my wife and I are sure that would make our son Michael very happy.”
Michael was heavily involved in several activities up until the day he died. He participated in just about every recreational sport possible, travel basketball, Boy Scouts, skiing and tennis. He was a born leader, according to his father, and attended a youth leadership conference last June in Washington, D.C.
Jeff O’Hara, Michael’s baseball coach, said people loved to coach the youngster due to his team spirit and leadership qualities. He was not the fastest and the strongest on the team, he said, but he was mentally capable of anything.
“He had a spark in his eye and a zest for everything in life,” O’Hara said. “This is a boy who did more to touch more people in 12 years than some people do in 100 years. He was a special, special kid, and there’s really no other way to describe it. When he was here, he left his mark.”
Jeff Sloan, another one of his coaches and a friend of the family, said Michael was “like a son” to him.
“He was a very, very, very likeable kid, because he was respectable and honest, which is unique in today’s world for a 12-year-old boy,” he said, noting how Michael acted as a role model for his two younger brothers, William, 6, and David, 10. “He helped teach them right from wrong.”
The fund, which is set up through the Princeton Area Community Foundation, will benefit from two or more large fundraisers throughout the year.
One such event will be held at the TD Ball Park in Somerset as the Patriots take on the Newark Bears at 7:05 p.m. June 19.
The SWMHS class of 1988 announced the “Night Out at the Ballpark” last week to help raise money for the fund.
Tickets are $25 each and include a lowerlevel seat ticket and $5 in “Diamond Dollars” that can be spent anywhere in the stadium. Tickets can be obtained by emailing MRDFundraiser@ gmail.com or mailing Jill Chrysanthopoulos at 25 Shore Road, Oceanport, NJ 07757. Checks should be made payable to the SWMHS Class of 1988.
Additional donations can be made payable to “The Michael Robert Damato Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Princeton Area Community Foundation” and can be mailed to 15- A Princess Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.
“Michael was passionate about life and lived every day like it was going to be his last day,” Ken said, “If most people could experiencewhatMichael experienced in the first 12 years of his lifetime, they’d be really blessed.”