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James O’Connell Emergency Medical
Services. DHS Certified WMD
Instructor. On the morning of
As I watched NY1 news
I began seeing the reports of a small airplane hitting the
He told me “this is
bad, very bad” and there would be many people in need of
assistance. We made arrangement to meet on the West Side Hwy and
I assisted in the
evacuation and was lucky to escape with my life as the Towers
collapsed taking with the lives of over 2,723. I spent the next eight
months at Ground Zero participating in the Search & Rescue and
Recovery. As a result of my services I currently suffer from
and/or am diagnosed with the following illnesses: Numerous Lung
Nodules, Numerous Mass, Restricted Airway, GERD, Dizziness,
Numbness in the left Arm, Leg and Face and I have had three
Transient Ischemic Attacks since September 11th 2001. |
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On the morning of September 11th, Gary was awakened by a phone call from his building owner. He went up to the roof of the building and could see the first tower smoking. He thought, as most did, that it was a fire. He made plans to go lend a hand. As he was watching television to keep track of what was going on, he saw the plane hit the second tower. That’s when he knew America was under attack. He rushed to his truck and while he had never driven over 100 mph before, that day he did. He made it to the Brooklyn Bridge and joined a local fire company truck to get closer to the site of the attacks. Gary arrived on the site around 11 A.M. but wasn’t cleared to go into the wreckage until later that evening. Armed with only a ripped T-shirt covering his mouth and nose, Gary went into the site. It was so hot the soles of his steel boots melted like butter. Rescuers were given bottles of water that they held beneath they’re clothing but by the time they drank it’s as if they were drinking boiling hot water. For two weeks Gary spent more than 10 hours each day searching for remains buried beneath masses of melted metal beams. The only time he lifted his face mask where to have a quick bite to eat or to go to Battery Park city for a brief rest and shower in vacant apartments that were provided for rescue workers. In the course of another day of rescue Gary suffered a devastating fall. He fell from a girder that wasn’t attached and because he was wearing his welding mask broke his neck crushing his 5th and 6th vertebrae. His participation in the rescue effort was over, but his journey on the road to recovery had just begun. To stabilize his vertebrae Gary was bed ridden and wore a collar for the next 10 months. His first surgery, in October of ’02, was a titanium replacement of the 5th vertebrae. Almost a year later doctors inserted 4 pins and a plate into the 5th, 6th and 7th vertebrae. After excruciating pain, and intensive physical therapy, just like a hero Gary holds his head high. He describes the experience as a lesson in pain. “Once I knew how painful the first surgery was, I was already mentally prepared to handle the second surgery,” he says. Now, Gary’s journey consists of providing for himself and his 17-year-old son on the modest monthly disability income he receives and his everyday regimen to treat his preexisting diabetes and pulmonary complications from exposure to ground zero. As a former steel fitter/plumber with a successful business, Gary is not looking for handouts. He merely wants to regain financial stability ending the struggle to make ends meet and to be able to put his son through college. In honor of the more than 100 steel workers who have mostly gone unrecognized, Gary’s upcoming book, Diary of a Hero, will be out in bookstores soon |
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Angelo
Grande served under NYPD for 20 years out of the 61st precinct. He
was a PBA delegate for eight years. Angelo has been on a dialysis
since 5/15/06 . He suffers from from cystic kidneys, which does
not allow your kidneys to function normally. His blood type is "0"
so he can only receive help from a person with the same blood type "0"
or someone with a "A2" blood type. Angelo needs our help. If
anyone out there can save his life, then please be a hero and help a
hero . Since the last time we posted our story about Angelo, two kind and brave potential donors have stepped forward to offer their kidney to Angelo. Unfortunately, neither cases resulted in a successful match for the surgery. . If anyone is willing to help Angelo, please contact us. Thank you very much. |
| POLICE OFFICER DOUGLAS CRAWFORD,
WHO IS CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO THE MEDICAL DIVISION, IS IN GREAT NEED OF A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT AND REQUIRES HELP LOCATING A COMPATABLE DONOR. HE IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING KIDNEY DIALYSIS. POLICE OFFICER CRAWFORD HAS 81/2 YEARS ON THE JOB. HE SERVED IN THE 67 PCT. AND 70 PCT. BEFORE BEING ASSIGNED TO THE MEDICAL DIVISION. RETIRED POLICE OFFER ANGELO GRANDE, WHO SINCE HE RETIRED HAS BEEN SERVING AS THE PBA'S DISABILITY RETIREMENT CONSULTANT, IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING KIDNEY DIALYSIS. HIS CONDITION IS SUCH THAT HE IS ALSO IN GREAT NEED OF A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT, AND REQUIRES HELP LOCATING A COMPATABLE DONOR. ALL MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF BECOMING A KIDNEY DONOR AND HELPING OUR OWN IN THEIR TIME OF NEED ARE URGED TO CONTACT CASE MANAGEMENT NURSE NILSA MCNAMARA AT THE MEDICAL DIVISION AT (718) 760-7623. THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR BECOMING A POTENTIAL DONOR ARE AS FOLLOWS: * YOU MUST BE IN GOOD HEALTH * IDEALLY, YOU MUST HAVE EITHER TYPE "O" OR TYPE "A2" BLOOD, HOWEVER, OTHER BLOOD TYPES MAY QUALIFY AS WELL * YOU CANNOT CURRENTLY BE ON BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION OR HAVE BEEN ON BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION IN THE PAST * YOU CANNOT BE DIABETIC * YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE IF BOTH OF YOUR PARENTS WERE DIABETIC Thank You, |
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