My husband, FDNY FF. Neil “Frankie” Hall Jr., from Ladder 15/Engine 4 worked over 27 years for the City of New York. On June 16, 2022, after being more than halfway through a 24 hour tour, Frankie’s firehouse had just completed a drill. While on a ladder, putting equipment away in a loft area inside of his firehouse, he fell from more than 10 feet high, his head taking the brunt of the fall. He sustained a severe traumatic brain injury, short term memory loss, aphasia, convergence insufficiency, left optic nerve neuropathy, hypotension, and a partially torn right rotator cuff. He spent four weeks in Bellevue Hospital, and four weeks in NYU RUSK Rehab in Manhattan before being discharged home, and now maintains outpatient rehab in PT, OT, and Speech.
From the beginning, Tunnel to Towers wanted to know how they could help us. While Frank recovered in New York City, Tunnel to Towers secured an apartment for us in Lower Manhattan so we were able to have the comforts of home, instead of a hotel room and it gave us a safe, quiet place to retrieve to after the long hours spent at the hospital, and rehab center. Additionally, when Frank came home, Tunnel to Towers transformed our home into a Smart Home. The organization has stepped up in ways I never knew possible, and offered help in areas I never knew we needed. In 2022, we started "Frankie's Squad" and have raised over $30,000 for the foundation. We hope you will join us for the 25th Anniversary Race this year. Never Forget and Let Us Do Good!