Ray Baccelli said he got his life back Tuesday when he was given a motorized wheelchair to replace one destroyed in an accident Dec. 21.
"Praise the lord, and God bless the Lions Club," the 57-year-old said from the lobby of the Carson Rehabilitation Center, from which he'll be released from next week. "This is gonna save my life."
Baccelli, who suffered a stroke in 1996 that left him paralyzed on the left side, was seriously injured in the accident at Stewart and Fifth streets when an errant driver struck him as he crossed the road.
He said he'd healed from the broken pelvis and broken ribs, but his spirits were crushed when he realized he would be unable to replace his wheelchair.
"I prayed to God," he said.
Marco "Taz" Manor, past council chairman of the Lions Club, said a businessman in Douglas County called him shortly after a story on the wheelchair donation program ran in the Nevada Appeal in November and donated the electric wheelchair to the organization.
The Lions Club assists the Nevada Wheelchair Foundation in distributing about 1,000 free manual wheelchairs in Northern Nevada.
Manor said he contacted the rehabilitation center to ask if they knew of anyone who needed the motorized chair, and Baccelli came to mind.
Next week, Manor will deliver 11 chairs to the Carson City School District so each city school will have one. Douglas County schools are also receiving chairs, he said.
"Until we started this, we never knew how many people needed these chairs," said Erma Manor.
For Baccelli, the chair means one thing.
"I can actually go out. I'll be able to be independent" he said. "This means freedom for me.
Contact F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.
