by NANCY DILLON
One of New York's Bravest forced to jump five stories from a deadly Bronx inferno last January spent Thanksgiving morning back in the hospital.
Still, Joey DiBernardo said he was "so incredibly thankful."
"I'm here. I'm alive. And pretty soon I get to go back home to my family," he said from his wheelchair at Weill Cornell Medical Center.
DiBernardo was one of six firefighters faced with certain death by flames or a leap of faith in Tremont the morning of Jan. 23.
He and three others - Jeffrey Cool, Eugene Stolowski and Brendan Cawley - survived the perilous plunge with critical injuries.
Lt. Curtis Meyran of Battalion 26 and Firefighter John Bellew of Ladder 27 died in the jump.
Hours after Bellew and Meyran were killed, Firefighter Richard Sclafani died in a Brooklyn blaze, marking the FDNY's deadliest day since 9/11.
"I can't help but think of those guys now. They're not here to celebrate with their families," he said.
DiBernardo was back in the hospital this week for a three-hour surgery that removed 11 screws and three titanium plates used to rebuild crushed bones in his left leg and foot.
Three of the screws were beginning to shear off, he explained, causing excruciating pressure on his muscles and tendons.
The 34-year-old bachelor marveled as he held the pile of shiny silver and gold hardware in his left palm.
"It looks like all the parts to an Erector Set," said dad Joseph DiBernardo Sr., a retired FDNY chief.
"I didn't think they were taking this much out," DiBernardo Jr. said. "But I still have five plates and 20 screws in my right foot."
Doctors hope DiBernardo's bones have healed enough that they'll grow back into correct position naturally. If they don't, they may require permanent fusing - a last-ditch procedure that would make walking much more difficult.
"I will live in pain the rest of my life. But hopefully in a few weeks they will take the stitches out and I'll be up and about again," he said.
DiBernardo credits the personal safety rope carried by his buddy Jeffrey Cool with saving his life that fateful morning.
The two used it to shimmy down 10 feet before slipping into free fall.
After the tragic fire, the FDNY spent $11 million to reissue ropes to firefighters.
 |
