On March 4th, Fredrick received his new wheelchair. Ever since the story of his robbery and subsequent abandonment by the NYPD in a freezing blizzard broke in the New York Times, people have been wanting to help Fredrick. The most obvious choice was to get him a new wheelchair, something that he always wanted and was actually saving up his money for.
A new wheelchair, with all the features and comforts that he needs (he spends his entire day in the wheelchair) has a retail price upwards of $25,000. No one could imagine that from the horrible events that transpired to him in the early part of 2014, would he be treated to such amazing generosity and kindness from complete strangers.
People reading the story in the Times were moved to tears – and to action. Some contacted the reporter via email or Twitter, others sent their messages in to this website, requesting information on how they could help.
A fund was set up with a medical assistance organization in NJ, who acted as the financial sponsor for the contributions. For a few weeks after the story, donations poured in from across New York and the entire nation. Soon we had raised enough funds, that when coupled with a sizeable discount offered by the wheelchair vendor, we were able to go ahead and order the wheelchair.
Yesterday, the chair arrived. Fredrick is enjoying his new chair so much. It’s a vast improvement over his old chair, both in terms of comfort and features. He glides down the streets of his Brooklyn neighborhood with ease, not having to wince every time his chair goes over a slight bump or crack in the sidewalk.
We congratulate Fredrick on his new chair, and join him in thanking all the wonderful people that came together to make this all possible.
