The short version:

I am not used to asking for help.

After a 30-year career as a Police Officer, Narcotics Detective, and Police K9 Handler and Trainer, a heart attack nearly ended my life. Complications with diabetes first took my toes and then my leg..

I have to admit this set me back a bit. For a moment, I broke down and cried over my situation. Then I stopped and returned to my "There are no obstacles, only challenges" attitude. My goal now is to overcome this challenge.

I need your help to purchase an adaptive cycle.

My kids are active. We used to hike, bicycle, and camp. I owe it to my kids to be active in their lives again, after months of recovering. I have a limited amount of time to make these memories with them.

This bike will also allow me to get back to my passion of training police dogs. Police K9s are athletes. They need to be trained to be physically fit. I used to do this by running with them. This bike will allow me to actively work dogs in endurance training.

I thank you for taking the time to consider my request.

Respectfully,

Raymond "Doug" Humphrey

The longer version:

I first got into public service at the age of 19 by joining the Granby Volunteer Ambulance as an EMT. I was destined to live a life of public service. I come from a police family.

I was born a Texan. My dad worked for Dallas PD. My uncle worked for the Dallas Sheriff's Department. My Aunt Sharon worked for the Liberty County Sheriff's Office. My cousin rose through the ranks to become a Deputy Chief at Dallas PD. His son, My second cousin, is currently a patrol officer at Dallas PD. I worked for a total of 3 police departments including Granby CT police, East Windsor Police, and the Titusville FL Police Department. My 14-year-old daughter is a member of the Enfield Police Explorer Program.

One of my earliest memories (I was about 5) was walking with my Dad through the underground parking garage at Dallas PD. My Dad paused at one point, pointed to a dark stain on the pavement and said "That's where Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald. I had no concept of the historical significance of that moment until years later.

My Dad often worked in an area of Dallas called Fair Park. Fair Park was the entertainment hub of Dallas. There were museums, restaurants, and Tram rides. Dallas had their own version of the grand Ole Opry located here.

The Dallas Cowboys played in the Cotton Bowl and the Dallas Black Hawks (a farm team for the Chicago Black Hawks) fought it out on the ice in the Coliseum. Once a year Fair Park would host the Texas Great State Fair. It was an awesome time of celebration. The Guard Arm of Fair Park is big Tex. If you were a kid and got lost you knew to go to Big Tex and your parents would find you there

My Dad in front of Big Tex at the Texas State Fair:

Because it was a different time my Dad would take me to work with him. It was there that I would catch "the bug" to become a cop. My dad would bring me to Fair Park and turn me lose. I had free run of the place I could go to any concession stand and get fed for free. ( I never told my Dad because, after all, Police officers never took free things from the people they served. The few times he found out he would pretend to be mad and tell me never to do it again. Then he would go to the vendor and insist on paying. The vendor would sheepishly accept payment then give me a wink when my dad turned his head signaling I could come by anytime and get fed for free.

During this time, I had all area access to the cotton bowl and ran the side lines during Dallas Cowboy games. I got to see Cowboy Hall of Famers play live.

I also had an all-access pass to the Coliseum. Even the hockey players knew me. They would throw pucks over the glass to me during warm-ups. I got to go into the locker room when they were empty. There was always a pile of broken sticks in a corner. I would shift through them and take the ones that were salvageable home. There I would reinforce them with tape and go out on my back patio to pretend I was Phil or Tony Esposito both of whom I got to watch play in Dallas. Every once in a while, a thin sheet of ice would form on our patio and I was in heaven.

I used to listen intently as my Dad and the other cops stood around telling war stories. Tales of car chases, foot pursuits, even shoot outs. I heard firsthand accounts of the assassination of President Kennedy. I watched the cops' eyes water up as they talked about it and the loss of Officer JD Tippet at the hands of Lee Harvey Oswald.

But I remember the exact moment I became a cop, at least in spirit. I was about 7 years old. I was with my Dad at the coliseum. He was actually off duty. We were just there to see a playoff hockey game as father and son. We were standing at the ticket line talking to another cop when two men tried to present their tickets and enter. They were carrying a large cooler full of beer.

The on-duty cop told them they couldn't bring the beer into the stadium. They were argumentative and probably already drunk.

My dad walked over to let them know the officer was not alone. I stood poised to jump into the fray if needed. I felt this strange sensation of fear and excitement. It was a drug that took hold of me instantly and I knew, even at 7 years old, that I would be addicted to it for life.

The two men finally conceded and one agreed to take the cooler back to the car while the other entered.

They didn't fool me for a second. My dad and the officer had gone back to their conversation but I watched them like a hawk. I saw the man with the cooler go to the very back of the line but he never left the building. The cooler was on the ground at his feet. He hid behind the steady stream of people coming in for the game. A less seasoned officer would have lost him in the crowd but I was locked onto him like a laser.

I watched as his co- conspirator entered and walked over to him. They stood for a minute to make sure my dad and the other officer were distracted. They paid no attention to me, because after all, I was just a little kid.

Once they were sure they were not being watched, the man with the cooler discreetly slid it under the velvet ropes with his foot where his friend grabbed it and disappeared into the stadium. I'm sure they were confident that their ruse worked. But they were wrong. I had them in my sites the whole time.

I tried to tell my dad what happened. He told me with mild sternness to not interrupt him. After all, in those days, a child was expected to be polite above all else.

But I had critical police information that my brothers in blue needed to know so I persisted. Finally, my dad, in exasperation said "What do you want". I told him what I had seen and we were off in pursuit. I let my dad and the other officer take the lead but I was close behind.

We located crook #2 with his cooler waiting in the walkway just inside of the rink. Crook #1 never made it through the ticket line before we unceremoniously threw them out. My first case was closed with two bad guys caught.

I remember a hyper sense of fear and vigilance as we walked out after the game. I imagined them waiting for us in the parking lot. I admit I was scared. The courage of a seven-year-old only goes so far....

I have relived that emotional high countless times in my 28 years as a police officer.

I am now retired. I am 62 years old. In December of 2015 I had a massive heart attack. I was flown into the hospital by medical helicopter. They told me it was by the grace of God that I made it in time. They called my condition a Widowmaker. I spent a month in the hospital recovering

In July of 2016 I began to suffer the consequences of diabetes. My first toe was amputated. In the following years between then and now I have been through multiple surgeries. I have had 8 toes amputated in separate surgeries. I have had my feet sliced wide open numerous times to deal with infections in my feet. I have been hospitalized numerous times for life threatening staph infections. I have had two blood infections that required blood transfusions. In total I have had more than 20 extended hospital stays.

Even when I was home, I felt horrible. I had open wounds to my feet that refused to heal. I could not wear shoes. I had nurses coming in 3 times a week to change bandages. I had to give myself IV antibiotics 3 times a day over several 2-month periods. I couldn't participate in daily activities. There were many days I could not get out of bed. I had to rely on my children to take care of me.

Even with all this going on I never felt sorry for myself. I never thought of giving up. I credit my police survival training with my fight at all costs attitude.

I finally got to a point where my left foot simply would not heal no matter what we tried. I came to the proactive decision to amputate my left leg. The operation was set and my left leg was amputated below the knee. I had no reservations about this. I wanted it done. I couldn't go on feeling like I did.

It was the best decision I ever made! Once the infection was removed, I felt like I had been reborn. I had energy again. I had a general feeling of being healthy. In short, I no longer felt like I was going to die. I had no idea of the impact that the underlying infection had on my health and psychological wellbeing.

I am a single father with four kids aged 7 to 17. Because of my medical condition I have had to limit my interaction with them. They have been forced to be my primary caretakers and nurses. They have lived in surrogate homes while I was in the hospital. This is not something these kids should have to deal with. I am extremely proud that they stepped up and helped me in my disabled condition.

Once I amputated the left leg all of the sickness and weakened condition went away. Since that time, I feel better than I have in years. I have energy and a positive outlook on my future. I was quickly into a below the knee prosthesis and I was moving around normally. I was actually training dogs again.

Unfortunately, it was short lived. About a month later I developed a new infection in my left leg. I was told that a new infection had developed and I would need to have my left leg amputated above the knee.

I have to admit this news set me back a bit. For the first time, after everyone left, I broke down and cried over my situation. Then I stopped and returned to my "There are no obstacles, only challenges" attitude.

So far, my leg is holding up with no further infection. The surgery is completely healed and I have a new prosthetic leg. This leg has a bigger learning curve but I am sticking with it and getting more independent every day.

I am retired. I put in 28 years serving the citizens of Connecticut as a police officer. I have received numerous awards and commendations for the performance of my duties.

I am directly responsible for saving three lives. One was a 3-day old baby who had suddenly stopped breathing after being brought home from the hospital. I performed CPR for 30 minutes until a medical helicopter arrived to take over care. Today this young man has a family of his own.

The second was an 89-year-old woman celebrating her birthday. She collapsed on the dance floor in full cardiac arrest in front of her family and friends. My partner and I arrived and were able to get her heart started using an AED. By the time the ambulance got there she was talking to us.

The third was a suicidal man who had overdosed on medication. He parked his truck in a rural area and left a suicide note of the front seat. I used my police dog to initiate a track. My dog tracked and located the now unconscious victim in the woods. The doctors said if he had been out there 30 minutes longer, he would likely have died.

My niche in police work was as a Police K9 trainer and handler. Over the years the dog's I have trained have located numerous felons, found scores of missing people, and confiscated a large quantity of narcotics and illegal drug assets. They have been directly responsible for saving several lives.

I am still active in training police dogs to the extent that I can. I have over 30 years experience in this field.

Unfortunately, my current situation limits my ability to train. There is a learning curve to this new leg especially when it comes to balance. They are confident that over time I will be independently walking, running, and training dogs.

Physical exercise is a primary component in my physical and emotional recovery. Because of the weight difference my prosthetic throws me out of balance right now. Bicycling is something I can do immediately to exercise my body but using a regular bicycle is problematic because of balance issues.

My kids are active. We used to hike, bicycle, and camp. Ice fishing is our primary winter activity. I owe it to my kids to be active in their lives again. I have a limited amount of time to make these memories with them.

Having this bike will allow me to be active with my kids again. It will allow me to build positive memories in my kids while I still can. Because this bike is designed for all terrain operation, I can use it during ice fishing outings to protect myself from injury and increase my mobility.

This bike will also allow me to get back to my passion of training police dogs. Police K9s are athletes. They need to be trained to be physically fit. I used to do this by running with them. This bike will allow me to actively work dogs in endurance training.

My entire adult life has been lived in service to others. That's all I know. This bike will help me continue to serve through training these valuable lifesaving dogs.

Regular exercise will also help me control my diabetes. This control is paramount to keeping me healthy. I have already joined a gym. This bike will add one more element to my fitness training. My leg is designed to be used for cycling. Running is a way off but I can bicycle now.

In conclusion, getting this bike will have a profound positive impact on my quality of life. But more importantly it will have a positive impact on the quality of life for my kids and others who may never actually meet me.

It will allow me to continue in public service by training public safety dogs. It will allow me the opportunity to spend valuable time with my kids.

I thank you for taking the time to consider my request.

Respectfully,

Raymond "Doug" Humphrey