By EMS1 Staff
NEW YORK — An FDNY EMT who helped in rescue efforts after 9/11 and is battling cancer received a gift to help him move around a little easier.
NY1 reported that Salvatore Turturici is suffering from liver cancer, and becomes tired easily when moving around. Thanks to the Ray Pfeifer Foundation, he now has a motorized wheelchair.
Turturici’s first assignment as an EMT was to help in rescue and recovery work at Ground Zero. Doctors said his cancer was a result of his time spent there when they diagnosed him two years ago.
Soon after his diagnosis, Turturici met Ray Pfeifer, who was also suffering from 9/11-related cancer and learned during his time advocating for the Zadroga Act, which provides healthcare to 9/11 first responders, that insurance does not cover specialized medical equipment.
The Ray Pfeifer Foundation was created after Pfeifer’s death to help others get the equipment they need.
“Help him out, get him mobility, because I know it was a big issue for my dad,” Ray Pfeifer’s son, Terence, said about giving Turturici the wheelchair. “For him to be able to get this is great.”
Turturici’s wheelchair is the first gift donated by the Ray Pfeifer Foundation.
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