March 13 Is Bill O'Brien Day

The city of Sebring has declared that Friday, March 13, will be Bill O'Brien day, and his friends are having a fundraiser to help the former police dispatcher and polio survivor get a much-needed electric Hoyer lift.

Mayor George Hensley declared March 13 in O'Brien's honor for his service to the city and his volunteer work throughout Highlands County.

A fundraising event is planned from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Firemen's Field where they will be selling for $6 meals of pulled pork, green beans, cold slaw, rolls and tea.

Simultaneously, at First Baptist Church of Lake Placid, located at 119 E. Royal Palm St., Lake Placid, they will be serving the same menu from 11:30 to 1 p.m., again for $6. Tickets can be purchased at the church office.

"All the proceeds will go directly to Bill O'Brien for an electric Hoyer lift," said his friend Mary Strenth.

Tickets can be purchased at Dee's Restaurant, the Sebring Police Department and Riles Pump. All three locations are on North Ridgewood Drive. Tiles by Fran, located at 208 N. Main Ave., Lake Placid, also has tickets.

Anyone wishing to make a cash donation may go to Wauchula State Bank and ask for it to go to the Bill O'Brien benefit.

O'Brien, 60, lived in Sebring more than 37 years and worked nearly 34 years as a dispatcher for the Sebring Police Department. He and his wife Cyndi O'Brien currently live in Lake Placid.

He was only 3-months old when he contracted polio, but has since been struggling with post polio syndrome, where the disease comes back and attacks the muscles it missed the first time around.

He can often be found confined to his power wheelchair behind the welcome center counter, where he volunteers at Florida Hospital Lake Placid.

Until a few years ago, he used a scooter chair but could get around with crutches and leg braces He blew out his rotator cuffs in both shoulders, and due to his deteriorating muscles, has difficulty getting up from his chair.

He and his wife need a motorized Hoyer lift in their home because O'Brien has fallen trying to get from his chair into bed. Without it, he faces a serious alternative, the remainder of his life in a nursing home and loss of independence.