HAMPTON – An injured shoulder pressured Matt Clement to retire early from the Hampton Hearth Division 5 years in the past, however on Friday afternoon, as he scanned all of the acquainted faces on the fireplace corridor, he was clear that he was nonetheless a part of a tight-knit brotherhood.

“It is so humiliating,” stated Clement, visibly choked moments after seeing Hampton Hearth Charity chairman Craig Jordan hand over a verify for $ 7,350 to his stepfather, Joe Karpiak. “The (firefighters) household by no means stops with that and it is an enormous factor. You do not perceive this with many different careers.

It was simply the final Halloween that longtime Seabrook resident Karpiak was tragically paralyzed after falling from a loft whereas serving to his son Nick with renovations. The cash, which was raised along side the Seabrook Hearth Division, will assist buy a motorized accent for Karpiak’s wheelchair.

The Seacoast is “ a good neighborhood ”

“We’re a good neighborhood, and that is what is so particular in regards to the Seacoast,” Jordan stated earlier than handing over the substantial verify.

Barely 5 years outdated, the Hampton Hearth Division Charity, has already lent a hand to a plethora of causes on the coast.

“It is two-sided that we might help one in all our members and their household, but additionally another person in the neighborhood,” Jordan stated.

Seabrook Hearth Captain Seth Coleman, who can also be president of the Union of Seabrook Firefighters Charities, which repeatedly offers big sums to a myriad of native charities and scholarships, was blissful to affix this noble trigger.

“It is proper in our hallway and we have been blissful to assist,” Coleman stated.

A “ life altering ” actuality

Armed with a big plate of home made cookies for firefighters, Debbie Karpiak could must look into an industrial-sized kitchen if she is to do the identical for all the neighborhood members who’ve answered the decision since then. fateful Halloween. day.

Inside days of the crash, a GoFundMe web page was arrange and shortly a totally functioning elevator was put in behind their three-story residence in Seabrook. Together with this mission, the grasp lavatory was emptied and made fully accessible to folks with disabilities and now her husband, who has full higher physique motion, has a brand new approach of monitoring his chores and website inspections by as facility supervisor.

“Strangers you do not even know simply got here to assist and assist us and that is actually what made us stay every single day,” she stated. “It is overwhelming actually. Till you are there, you haven’t any thought what it means and the way it modifications your life. “

Karpiak was initially taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital after which flown to Boston. After a collection of procedures and an extended keep at Spaulding Rehab, he returned to his newly configured residence overlooking the swamp of Beckman’s Touchdown.

“It is all the time very helpful, whether or not it is serving to with our houses or our automobiles,” stated Karpiak’s daughter, Kate Clement. “It actually brings tears to my eyes simply to see all of the assist.”

Like his spouse and daughter, Joe Karpiak says he was merely overwhelmed by the outpouring of assist, together with his classmates at Maine Maritime Academy.

“There have been folks I heard about that I have not seen in 50 years,” Karpiak stated. “All of this I by no means imagined. It is rather humiliating.

Go fishing

A devoted grandfather who enjoys each time he can go fishing along with his three grandchildren, Karpiak hopes the motorized help will assist on this regard.

“I really like fishing with my grandchildren,” stated Karpiak, who’s at the moment busy determining a solution to get his wheelchair up onto his 16-foot single scull. “The grandchildren have principally helped me keep alive. It simply offers you one thing to level out. We will make the fishing occur a technique or one other.

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