Max
07-27-2003, 09:00 PM
Disabled firefighter ready to ride 100 miles in wheelchair
ARGENTINE TOWNSHIP
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Saturday, July 26, 2003
By Sally York
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
QUICK FACTS
Riding for a cure
What: Disabled firefighter Richard Rapp will ride 100 miles in his wheelchair to raise awareness for disabled firefighters and police officers.
When: The three-day trip starts 10 a.m. Aug. 14 at the Argentine Township Fire Hall and ends in Romeo. Rapp was injured in a personal water craft accident on Lobdell Lake.
How to help: Donations to Disabled Firefighters and Police Officers of America and paralysis research can be sent to DFPOA, Box 95, Armada, MI, or any Fifth Third Bank branch office, DFPOA account.
Details: (586) 784-5128
Argentine Twp. - Richard Rapp doesn't remember much about the personal water craft accident on Lobdell Lake in 1995 that injured his spinal cord and put him in a wheelchair.
But the firefighter, 34, distinctly recalls his doctor saying he would be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life.
"I didn't believe it," said Rapp, radio operator for the Ray Township Fire Department in Macomb County. "I thought, OK, if that's what you say, but I'm going to prove you wrong.' "
Two surgeries and many physical therapy sessions later, Rapp remains in a wheelchair but has regained feeling everywhere except in his fingers and knees.
To raise dollars and awareness on behalf of disabled firefighters and police officers, Rapp plans to ride 100 miles in his electric wheelchair, from Argentine Township to Romeo, his hometown.
The three-day trek, dubbed "Ride for a Cure," starts at 10 a.m. Aug. 14 in front of the Fire Hall, where Rapp said he will finally get the chance to thank some of the firefighters who helped save his life.
Fire Chief Richard Sargent, a run crew member eight years ago with John McCormick, Daniel Mitchell, Frank Hatton and then-Chief John Miller, said they were just doing their job.
"You don't expect to be a hero when you jump on the truck," Sargent said. "If we saved his life, it's because we were there and were able to put our training to good use."
He applauds Rapp's dedication to helping disabled firefighters and police officers.
"What he's doing will be a definite challenge, but it's for a very good cause. He'll pick up energy from people standing along the street, cheering him on."
Rapp's wheelchair is powered, but he'll need ice packs to reduce his body temperature in the August heat: His injuries left him unable to perspire.
"It's going to be physically demanding," he said. "But I think it's going to be a lot of fun."
Rapp will ride nine to 10 hours each day through Argentine Township, Linden, Fenton, Holly, Clarkston, Auburn Hills, Rochester, Shelby, Washington and Romeo.
Police departments have agreed to escort Rapp through each of the municipalities.
"It's a very noble gesture on his part, and we support that," said Argentine Township police Chief Terry Van Keuren, whose force will follow Rapp to the Linden border.
Donations collected along the way will go to paralysis research and the Disabled Firefighters and Police Officers of America, a charitable foundation Rapp created in 1997.
"There are a lot of organizations out there who take care of families when firefighters and police officers are killed in the line of duty," Rapp said.
"But the need can be even greater when you're dealing with a terminal illness, injury or permanent disability. We're the only organization out there for those situations."
Injured when a family friend on a second personal water craft ran into him, Rapp lives on his earnings as an on-call firefighter and $735 a month from Social Security. He and wife, Carrie, a rural postal carrier, have a son, Daniel, 8.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds, Rapp ran a bodyguard service and janitorial and power washing businesses before joining the Ray Township fire force in 1993.
He hasn't been employed full time since the accident. He'd like to be a dispatcher, he said, but has failed the test five times due to his inability to type quickly.
Rapp uses two pencils tucked into Velcro wrist cuffs to hunt and peck.
"Finding an employer who's willing to give me a chance is difficult, and I've been unsuccessful to this point," he said. "I would love to be a contributing member of society."
***
Sally York covers the Fenton area. She can be reached at (810) 766-6322 or syork@flintjournal.com.
© 2003 Flint Journal
ARGENTINE TOWNSHIP
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Saturday, July 26, 2003
By Sally York
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
QUICK FACTS
Riding for a cure
What: Disabled firefighter Richard Rapp will ride 100 miles in his wheelchair to raise awareness for disabled firefighters and police officers.
When: The three-day trip starts 10 a.m. Aug. 14 at the Argentine Township Fire Hall and ends in Romeo. Rapp was injured in a personal water craft accident on Lobdell Lake.
How to help: Donations to Disabled Firefighters and Police Officers of America and paralysis research can be sent to DFPOA, Box 95, Armada, MI, or any Fifth Third Bank branch office, DFPOA account.
Details: (586) 784-5128
Argentine Twp. - Richard Rapp doesn't remember much about the personal water craft accident on Lobdell Lake in 1995 that injured his spinal cord and put him in a wheelchair.
But the firefighter, 34, distinctly recalls his doctor saying he would be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life.
"I didn't believe it," said Rapp, radio operator for the Ray Township Fire Department in Macomb County. "I thought, OK, if that's what you say, but I'm going to prove you wrong.' "
Two surgeries and many physical therapy sessions later, Rapp remains in a wheelchair but has regained feeling everywhere except in his fingers and knees.
To raise dollars and awareness on behalf of disabled firefighters and police officers, Rapp plans to ride 100 miles in his electric wheelchair, from Argentine Township to Romeo, his hometown.
The three-day trek, dubbed "Ride for a Cure," starts at 10 a.m. Aug. 14 in front of the Fire Hall, where Rapp said he will finally get the chance to thank some of the firefighters who helped save his life.
Fire Chief Richard Sargent, a run crew member eight years ago with John McCormick, Daniel Mitchell, Frank Hatton and then-Chief John Miller, said they were just doing their job.
"You don't expect to be a hero when you jump on the truck," Sargent said. "If we saved his life, it's because we were there and were able to put our training to good use."
He applauds Rapp's dedication to helping disabled firefighters and police officers.
"What he's doing will be a definite challenge, but it's for a very good cause. He'll pick up energy from people standing along the street, cheering him on."
Rapp's wheelchair is powered, but he'll need ice packs to reduce his body temperature in the August heat: His injuries left him unable to perspire.
"It's going to be physically demanding," he said. "But I think it's going to be a lot of fun."
Rapp will ride nine to 10 hours each day through Argentine Township, Linden, Fenton, Holly, Clarkston, Auburn Hills, Rochester, Shelby, Washington and Romeo.
Police departments have agreed to escort Rapp through each of the municipalities.
"It's a very noble gesture on his part, and we support that," said Argentine Township police Chief Terry Van Keuren, whose force will follow Rapp to the Linden border.
Donations collected along the way will go to paralysis research and the Disabled Firefighters and Police Officers of America, a charitable foundation Rapp created in 1997.
"There are a lot of organizations out there who take care of families when firefighters and police officers are killed in the line of duty," Rapp said.
"But the need can be even greater when you're dealing with a terminal illness, injury or permanent disability. We're the only organization out there for those situations."
Injured when a family friend on a second personal water craft ran into him, Rapp lives on his earnings as an on-call firefighter and $735 a month from Social Security. He and wife, Carrie, a rural postal carrier, have a son, Daniel, 8.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds, Rapp ran a bodyguard service and janitorial and power washing businesses before joining the Ray Township fire force in 1993.
He hasn't been employed full time since the accident. He'd like to be a dispatcher, he said, but has failed the test five times due to his inability to type quickly.
Rapp uses two pencils tucked into Velcro wrist cuffs to hunt and peck.
"Finding an employer who's willing to give me a chance is difficult, and I've been unsuccessful to this point," he said. "I would love to be a contributing member of society."
***
Sally York covers the Fenton area. She can be reached at (810) 766-6322 or syork@flintjournal.com.
© 2003 Flint Journal