A UNION HILL, NEW YORK, VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER HAD A TRAGIC turn of health recently.  Longtime member, Marty Blakely was on vacation this summer when he became ill from a blood clot in his leg.  Diagnosis found that the clot was a product of a cancerous tumor in his leg and it had to be amputated.  Marty has a family and now a very limited means of support, so the FD held a fund-raiser to help with his expenses.

When someone at the Rochester Scooter Store heard of his plight, they went through corporate headquarters and tapped into the company’s “Gift of Mobility” program, which provides mobility equipment and assistance to those who do not have the resources or insurance to obtain power wheelchairs and scooters.  At the fund-raiser in the Damascus Shrine Center, he was presented with a 3-wheel electric scooter.

“Marty is a young man with a young family who is going through an incredible journey right now,” said Fire Department Chief Brian Ball. “A past chief and dedicated volunteer, he is now in a day-to-day struggle at just 41 years old.  Mobility is a huge issue since he lost his leg. His inability to care for himself without aid is a major physical and emotional obstacle.”

The full story of this wonderful gesture can be read in this release issued through PRNewswire HERE.

Union Hill FD photo of Station 1

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