Article Number : 3504 |
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| Date | 7/30/2008 8:24:06 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=3504 |
| Abstract | By Leah Gross-Harmon Gary Mount can’t stand still. Be it driving a truck for Mohawk Industries, teaching virtual pilots to fly remote control aircraft or cruising down the highway on his customized 2002 Yamaha Star motorcycle, this 44-year-old father of three from Columbus, Ohio... |
| Article | By Leah Gross-Harmon (Editor’s note: This is the first in an ongoing series of stories FCNews will be publishing in conjunction with the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) to highlight the non-profit’s efforts to help anyone from the industry—installer up to CEO— who has suffered a catastrophic illness or life-altering hardship. In some cases the person’s name will be changed to protect their identity. This, however, is not one of those cases.) Gary Mount can’t stand still. Be it driving a truck for Mohawk Industries, teaching virtual pilots to fly remote control aircraft or cruising down the highway on his customized 2002 Yamaha Star motorcycle, this 44-year-old father of three from Columbus, Ohio, has a passion for mobility, for adventure, for freedom. All the more ironic that dark October night in 2007 when he arrived home from Mohawk around 6:30 p.m. and decided to enjoy a relaxing motorcycle ride. He donned his OCC (Orange County Choppers) jacket and headed down a two-lane road, approximately 30 feet behind a truck. Mount’s cruising speed was only about 10 miles per hour—so slow his feet were touching the ground. Up ahead at an intersection, he noticed a car in the opposite direction waiting to make a left turn. The truck in front of him drove through the intersection, but just as Mount’s bike crossed, the vehicle waiting to turn suddenly accelerated— and drove directly into him. Mount’s bike flew out from beneath him, sending him crashing onto the asphalt. Still conscious, he could feel a severe throbbing in his left foot. Bystanders gathered and told him not to move. One man removed his belt to use as a tourniquet around Mount’s leg. An ambulance arrived and paramedics immediately began to cut the fiercely hemorrhaging Mount out of his clothing. Rather than witness his prized OCC jacket sheared, he surprised all by finding the strength to remove it himself. As he was lifted onto a stretcher and rolled into the ambulance, Mount was told that at the moment of impact, his left foot was on the ground near the bike’s floorboard and the force from the car caused his foot to sever from the limb. His left foot was gone. Doctors had little choice but to amputate Mount’s left leg from the knee down. They discovered that upon impact, his leg bone had also shot up to his hip and shattered it. As a result, a titanium plate with nine screws was inserted—the first of many hip surgeries he would have to endure. Coming to terms with the loss of his leg and a dysfunctional hip was only the beginning. Mount had no health insurance. The woman who hit him was practically penniless and had only the minimum auto insurance coverage. His wife’s health insurance plan seemed to be his only hope for financial assistance. Mount’s life was crushed. During his 13-day hospital stay, he pondered how he could possibly continue to drive a truck, let alone fly his remote control aircraft and cruise down the open highway on his prized Yamaha. Though his friends, family and neighbors pitched in to build a wheelchair ramp up to his front door, mow his lawn and shovel snow, Mount was beside himself: “I thought it was over.” Mount received spiritual support from the Motorcycle Ministry at Leave A Mark Church in Columbus. He was personally visited by Mohawk executives John Ames, Joe Zasaitis, Jim Fabian and Bill Gaskill—all of whom pledged to do whatever they could to help their longtime colleague. They allowed him to work from home and told him he would be welcomed back to the office as soon as he was ready. Then, one day, Charlotte Monroe in Mohawk’s Human Resources department introduced Mount to the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF). Founded in 1980 by several prominent industry figures, led by the late Walter Guinan, FCIF is dedicated to financially assisting floor covering industry professionals who experience catastrophic illness, severe disabilities or other life-altering hardships. He filled out the request for FCIF assistance and just three weeks later received notice that a significant amount of money had been set aside to pay for his medical bills, help with his mortgage payments while he was out of work and even purchase a prosthetic leg. Mount’s wife’s health insurance policy had a $4,000 cap on prosthetics, but an average leg can cost between $18,000 and $20,000—and an advanced leg with computer sensors can cost as much as $50,000. Today there is still pain— but more so for those who feel sorry for Mount than for Mount, himself. Though children often mistake him for a Transformer—thanks to his artificial knee, calf and foot, Mount now walks without a cane. He is back to work at Mohawk—teaching driver safety and maintaining driver logs. He’s back to flying and teaching remote control aircraft. He’s even back to riding his Yamaha—which he has rebuilt to its pre-accident condition. “Mentally, I’m beyond where I was before,” Mount said proudly. “It’s amazing—like opening your eyes for the first time. I thought I was this person before, and now it’s like I look at things in a whole new light. “I honestly don’t know what my family and I would have done if FCIF was not there to help,” headded. “We’d have lost our house for sure. FCIF gave us shelter and food, paid the hospital bills—it helped with everything.” FCIF treats all of its grant recipients confidentially. The only reason Mount’s story is being told here is because he decided to gopublic. He wanted to show his appreciation to the organization and give it a human face so that others may be aware of its extraordinary efforts. Since it’s founding, FCIF has granted more than $1.5 million to help those in need. Beneficiaries include retailers, installers, retail salespeople, distributor personnel, mill employees and executives. The Foundation ensures these philanthropic efforts are done with compassion and preservation of dignity for the individuals concerned. Financial help is viewed as an opportunity to say, “we care” to those in our industry. For more information on the Floor Covering Industry Foundation or to help members of our industry family like Gary Mount cope with life-altering hardships, call 714.634.0302 or visit www.fcif.org. |