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07/26/2016 12:00 AMClinton 911 dispatcher David McDonald—DMAC, as he’s known to friends—is in need of a new handicap-accessible van to help him get around, and members of the Police Department, along with McDonald’s family and Clinton-based nonprofit Families Helping Families, are working to ensure he gets a new set of custom wheels.
In 1983, at age 20, McDonald was injured in a diving accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. After a month at Yale-New Haven Hospital and almost four months at Gaylord Rehabilitation Hospital, he returned to work part-time and began the long journey toward recovery.
“It wasn’t easy,” he says. “I had to learn how to write, dress myself, and feed myself all over again. After the spinal cord injury, I went from being 5’10 and 180 pounds down to 130 pounds.”
Though he is a quadriplegic, through extensive physical therapy and strength training he has regained limited use of his arms and hands.
McDonald’s brother, a former lieutenant with the Old Saybrook Police Department, suggested that DMAC take a job as an emergency dispatcher.
“I worked in Old Saybrook for 18 years,” said McDonald, “and I’ve been at the Clinton police station for the past eight.”
Though the drive to work is only about 10 minutes from his home in Westbrook, getting there can be a challenge for McDonald. His 1993 Ford Mark III conversion van needs frequent repairs and often stalls or refuses to start.
“It’s rusted out underneath, it’s losing transmission fluid, and it leaks oil everywhere it goes.” Every time he fills up at the pump, McDonald routinely checks and adds oil as well.
“His mechanic has called the van a ‘death trap’ and is just trying to keep it held together until we’re able to replace it,” said fellow dispatcher Tasos Clados, who has been with the Clinton Police Department for 15 years and works side-by-side with McDonald.
Last October, Clados started a GoFundMe page to get McDonald a new van. In 10 months, the page has been shared more than 1,200 times and has raised $9,530. The online campaign, together with private donations and a Family Fun Day event at Fireman’s Field in Old Saybrook, has raised $16,000 toward the purchase of a new van.
That’s just over the halfway mark; the price of a new van is around $30,000.
“Dave needs our help,” Clados said. “Being on a limited budget, he’s in a bind. He is not a lazy person looking for a handout, but the cost of a new or used handicap-accessible van is way out of his ballpark, and working more hours would put him at risk of losing his disability benefits. I would hate to lose my desk partner because he had no way to get to work. He is among the nicest people you could ever know, and I want to help him maintain his independence and freedom.”
Miner Vincent, president and founder of Families Helping Families (FHF), said during the months of August, September, and October, his organization will match any publicly raised funds—dollar for dollar, up to $3,000—which would put McDonald much closer to his goal.
“We’ll kick off this effort on Sunday, July 31, at Steward’s Ace Hardware in Clinton, which will donate a portion of their sales during that day to FHF. We’ll also be at the store collecting donations that day, and any donations we receive will go directly to helping Dave get a new van.”
“The people have just been very good,” McDonald said of those who’ve contributed so far. “People I’ve never even met.”
Once the van is purchased, the State of Connecticut will fully outfit it with handicap-accessible equipment specific to McDonald’s needs, such as hand controls and a lift, at no charge. The driver’s seat will be removed and special latches that secure McDonald’s wheelchair safely to the floor will be installed.
To track or contribute to the effort, visit Steward’s Ace Hardware from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 31 or visit www.gofundme.com/tc5c3h6g.