|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By: Ellen Cans
Former New York Congressman Michael Grimm, who had represented Staten Island, is now paralyzed from the chest down following a polo accident in September, in which he fell off a horse. “I hate to even say it. Mike is paralyzed from the chest down,” said his friend Vincent Ignizio, a former Republican councilman and current deputy executive director of the NYC Board of Elections.
As reported by the NY Post, the 54-year-old Marine veteran is being treated at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey. Kessler is a leader in medical rehabilitation for various conditions and offers innovative treatments and technology. It is the same place late actor Christopher Reeve, who had famously starred as “Superman’’, also recovered after being paralyzed from the neck down after similarly falling off a horse.
Grimm’s friends have launched a GoFundMe to raise money for the extensive, yearslong medical expenses that Grimm is expected to incur, due to the severity of his injury. “Our friend, former Marine, FBI Agent, and US Congressman Michael Grimm was paralyzed following a devastating accident when thrown from a horse in September 2024,” reads the GoFundMe sponsored by the Michael Grimm Supplemental Needs Fund. “He has been in the most devastating of situations and through the grace of God, Mr. Grimm has miraculously thread the needle to survive.” “Yet, his ongoing care and the treatment to walk again will cost millions of dollars. For a man who has dedicated his life to helping others, we now humbly ask that you give generously to help him.” The accident occurred on Sept. 22 during a polo tournament, per the Post.
Grimm had served in the U.S. Marine Corps starting in 1989 and advanced to the rank of corporal, serving till 1997. He was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation and the Meritorious Unit Commendation. A Republican, Grimm went on to serve as congressman from 2011 to 2013 representing NY’s 13th district, and from 2013 to 2015 in the 11th congressional district, both of which consisted of Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn.
Grimm resigned from congress in 2015, after being charged by federal authorities with 20 counts of fraud, federal tax evasion, and perjury. Grimm was sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion and served that sentence for underreporting income from a restaurant he co-owned and for paying staffers off the books. After that in 2017, he made a bid to win back his old seat, but he lost the Republican primary in June 2018.
The GoFundMe page benefitting Grimm, which has a stated goal of $2.5 million, has so far raised over $151,000, as of Monday late afternoon. Former political allies pleaded for people to chip in for the cause. “Congressman Grimm is a dedicated public servant who served us on the battlefield and in the halls of Congress. We need to join together as one community to help Michael in his time of need,” said State Assemblyman Michael Tannousis, chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party.
Per the Post, even former Brooklyn City Councilman Domenic Recchia, a political foe who lost when he ran against Grimm for Congress in 2014, donated $250 to the cause. “This isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s a human issue. He’s a human being,” Recchia said.
