Loss of friend inspires Ward Melville high school teen to give back

Corey Fischer knows what it’s like to be bullied by peers and to lose a close friend. However, these experiences haven’t overshadowed his ability to help others.

Fischer, along with other impressive teenagers from Suffolk County, was recognized by County Executive Ed Romaine (R) and all 18 County Legislators at an event at the H. Lee Dennison Building on Monday, May 12. Legislator Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) chose the Ward Melville High School senior to be recognized at the special event.

“We get a chance to see the future at an event like this, and the future looks pretty good,” Englebright said.

When the now 18-year-old was bullied in elementary school, he met Jackson, a boy from Port Jefferson Station, while playing the video game Fortnite online. Soon, they exchanged phone numbers and talked on the phone every day. Jackson battled acute myelogenous leukemia, but despite his diagnosis, he was a strong individual who gave Fischer wise advice and tips whenever the subject of bullying came up.

Jackson beat cancer, but a year later, he relapsed. After a bone marrow transplant, he suffered from Grafts vs. Host Disease. Tragically, Jackson succumbed to the disease at the age of 12.

To remember Jackson, Fischer has honored him by assembling and donating comfort baskets to oncology ward patients at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, where Jackson was treated. Fischer used grant money and his own to create the packages brimming with special items for patients, such as comfort socks, fidget spinners, coloring books, cards and more. He also founded the Jackson Initiative, which inspired his classmates to join him in creating cards and assembling the baskets.

Currently, Fischer is working with two doctors on a project that he conceptualized, focusing on patients’ mental health. When implemented, children can choose from an assortment of Emotion Cards to place on a whiteboard in their room to make it easier to communicate their feelings to healthcare practitioners.

Fischer will head to college later this year and is planning to enter the field of psychiatry.

“With his extraordinary compassion for his fellow human beings, career success will certainly be part of his future,” Englebright said at the May 12th event. “For being an inspiration to all ages, Corey Fischer is Legislative District 5’s Youth Award recipient for 2025.”