Sep 9, 2009 6:49 pm US/Eastern
Brotherly Love: Money for Noah's Wheelchair
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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This summer, a Vineland family was hit by a drunk driver. But out of nowhere came an angel. This angel has a name: Deneen DePre. What she did for the Cook family may seem simple, but it was just the miracle they needed.
CBS
This summer, a Vineland family was hit by a drunk driver. But out of nowhere came an angel. This angel has a name: Deneen DePre. What she did for the Cook family may seem simple, but it was just the miracle they needed.
"It was a very frightening nightmare to go through," said Victoria Cook.
On July 16, Cook's van was broadsided by a drunk driver less than a mile from their Vineland, New Jersey home. The van rolled three times. In the car were two of her children, including 17-year-old Noah, who has brittle bone disease.
"I do remember them telling me I had a lot of broken bones, but what they were mainly concerned about was hematoma in my brain," Noah said.
When word got out about the accident, Deneen DePre, one of Noah's high school teachers, collapsed with fear.
"I just fell apart," said Deneen. "Of course, you don't want that to happen to anybody. But Noah being so fragile, I just knew that however bad it would be for you or me, it's like ten thousand times worse for him.
But miraculously Noah not only survived, but within weeks, his fragile body healed.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said for his personalized $30,000 wheelchair and the $60,0000 wheelchair-equipped van. It's the only way Noah can get around.
The van is totaled. The wheelchair runs, but "I wasn't able to sit in it," Noah said, "because it was leaning so far to the left side."
Virginia says they are still waiting to hear from their insurance company, but Deneen DePre immediately sprang into action, going to restaurants like Applebee's and Rita's Water Ice to see if they would hold fundraisers to buy a new wheelchair and van. They all said yes.
So far, teacher Deneen has helped raise more than $30,000 of their $90,000 goal.
"She's our angel, she definitely is our angel," said Victoria.
September 25 at Wallace Middle School in Vineland, they are having a pasta dinner to raise money for Noah's wheelchair and mobility van.
To donate:
Susquehanna Bank
1748 South Lincoln Avenue
Vineland, NJ 08361-6607
ATTN: Natalie Conde
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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