The SCOOTER Store Donates Power Scooter to Former NYPD Officer Who Respond...(ust continue to fight to give 9/11 first...),Health

Suffolk County Legislator John M. Kennedy Jr. also attended the event, which attracted a large crowd of supporters.

Mr. Feal says he appreciated how quickly The SCOOTER Store worked with the foundation to make the gift to Mr. O'Connor possible.

Times have been difficult for Mr. O'Connor, who suffers from respiratory problems and post-traumatic stress syndrome caused by his assignment to help clean up the site of the destroyed towers. Later, after Mr. O'Connor went to work as a park policeman. He was hurt in the line of duty when a teenager operating an ATV, illegally, ran him over. He developed reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which is a chronic, painful and progressive neurological condition affecting skin, muscles, joints and bones.

His wife, Catherine, says the whole family will benefit from the scooter because "it will allow us to go out as a family, to places like the zoo, the circus, and even trick-or-treating on Halloween -- places, where I have had to go alone with our little kids." With the scooter, Mr. O'Connor can join them and also help his family by doing errands. A lift for the chair was donated by Harmar Mobility of Sarasota, Florida, when they heard about Mr. O'Connor's need.

Doug Harrison, CEO and Founder of The SCOOTER Store, said he is pleased that "the scooter will greatly improve the quality of life for O'Connor and his family. We are proud to be able to help this hero who has already given so much of himself to others."

Mr. Harrison and his wife, Susanna, started the Gift of Mobility program in December 2002 to help people like Mr. O'Connor improve their quality of life by recovering their independence and mobility. Since then, the outreach program has worked with organizations around the world to donate power wheelchairs, scooters and manual wheelchairs
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