Gallant is paralyzed from the waist down following an accident in which his pickup truck flipped over on black ice a few weeks ago. According to his wife, Mary, who is battling cancer, Gallant was driving to his second job at Home Depot Feb. 21 and had just passed another rollover accident when the back end of his truck fishtailed on black ice.
"It turned completely around and hit a snow bank, which flipped it into some trees," Mary said. "He took down several mailboxes."
Lowell firefighters have been spending off-duty time building a handicapped accessible deck on his property and plan to renovate the house, making it accessible for Gallant when he returns home later this month. He is at Northeastern Rehabilitation Hospital in Salem, N.H.
"John's in good spirits and doing fine," said Lowell firefighter Michael Janeiro as he and Lowell firefighters Laurie Schulte, Gerry Allard, and Lt. Frederick Demers began work during a recent sunny day.
Janiero said Gallant has been talking to another wheelchair-bound accident victim. "He told him after a while he'll find out there's nothing he can't do, he just has to do it differently," Janiero said, "although I'm sure he's going to hit a low point sometime." Janiero said Gallant will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
When Pepperell firefighters heard about the renovations, they immediately offered to help.
"I offered to get a dumpster but they said one was coming," Pepperell Fire Chief Costa Bozicas said last month. Since then, Pepperell firefighters have continued to offer help. "They're always asking us," Janiero said. "Your chief is a good man."
"Every day Capt. [Robert] Littlefield goes down the duty roster and chooses who will come here," Janiero said. "If he didn't do that there'd be a hundred men here."
The Lowell department is organizing a number of fund-raisers, including an event at the Lowell Elks to help Gallant's family. A number of donations from Lowell area businesses have already arrived.
"I got a letter from the Lowell Fire Department asking if Pepperell would donate for a van and the make the home handicapped accessible," Bozicas said. Pepperell firefighters had already started working on it.
Last week, a crew from Machado and Son Landscaping and Paving of Lowell was at the Gallant residence building a walkway from the driveway to the porch ramp. There is no charge. The Lowell crew included Wally Patterson, Peter Velmure, Jack Cavanaugh, Max Andino and Todd Faucet.
Business owner Tom Machado is a retired Lowell police officer. He reportedly told the press, "They're the best, the Fire Department. When the chips are down, they're always there."
According to the Lowell firefighters, John Esler of Better Living Sun Rooms of Boston in Westboro has renovated Gallant's sun porch and volunteered to do more if needed. BFI Inc. donated a large dumpster.
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