Support a New Beginning in Puerto Rico

I have always wanted to move to Puerto Rico, so I’ll make my story as short and straightforward as possible.

In 2008, I unexpectedly secured a city job after a five-pound solid bucket of cement fell on my left side. However, in 2009, I was terminated from that job due to injuries that prevented my return to work. I suffered a broken hip, knee, left arm, and neck.

In January and October of 2010, I underwent two hip replacements and shoulder surgery. Additionally, I had a total knee replacement in 2004. Now, at 53 years old, it's clear that the doctors were not pleased with how early I needed these replacements.

I was ready to return to work in 2011 and even adopted a puppy from my family. His name is Rocko, and he is now 15 years old.

Unfortunately, in December 2010, I was assaulted by an undercover officer. I was put in a submission hold known as the full Nelson, which resulted in a snapped shoulder and neck. For the next ten years, I suffered from chronic pain. In 2016, I was diagnosed with PTSD and depression.

I sued the city and took my case to the Supreme Court in the Bronx. Unfortunately, my lawyer was working with the prosecutor, and I was unaware that I was being taken advantage of because I wasn't highly educated. The case was dismissed with prejudice.

My lawyer selected the jury members despite my desire to be present. I felt set up. All jurors must be vetted, including their social media posts, and my lawyer knew this; I did not. We tend to trust lawyers, especially in high-profile cases, but my case was high-profile and kept under wraps.

In 2010, the officer who assaulted me didn't know my background, and I was on full disability. At that time, the mayor was Mike Bloomberg. Going further back, Mayor Rudy Giuliani had implemented the Stop-and-Frisk policy—a practice that disproportionately targeted communities of color in New York. This policy was ruled unconstitutional and ended at the close of Bloomberg’s tenure in 2013.

After ten long years, my case was still kept quiet. I wanted the media to know my story, but when Mayor Bill de Blasio found out, word got back to the prosecutor, leading to a deal with my lawyer. I later learned that there were many red flags in the city.

I had a witness who was willing to testify, but the city, the courts, and the judge sided with the NYPD. I have nothing against the NYPD; my mother used to work for them, and I respect them. However, while there are good officers, there are also bad ones.

One of the jurors my lawyer vetted had posted on Facebook about police brutality three years before the trial. The judge wanted me to settle what seemed to be a weak case, but that was a distraction. The city didn't want the media to know that I was assaulted under the Stop-and-Frisk law while I was, and still am, under disability. In the end, the case settled because the judge made it clear that it was not going anywhere. Afterward, the lawyers spoke with the jurors, and they all said my case could have won. There was no justification for using aggressive force, especially since I had just undergone surgery in October 2010, and I was the first assaulted citizen on disability. It wasn't looking good for both the mayor and the election. I received $500,000.

The lawyers took their cut, and I ended up with $260,000. But it wasn't over. I had to pay back Medicare and medical bills totaling $165,000, and my credit card debt was piling up, including for my family.

After everything, I was left with $50,000. I have suffered so much. In pain, I didn’t care anymore. My health came first, and I felt used on so many levels. For ten years, pain management took advantage of me with my insurance, injecting my neck. I was given powerful pain medication, and physical therapy wasn't helping. I even contemplated taking my life at times, thinking I might die from all the medications.

In 2015, my mother passed away. Her pain management had overwhelmed her with medication after back surgery in the late '90s. I was all alone. The story gets worse: in 2019, I had cervical spine surgery. Mount Sinai specialists couldn’t believe how many injections I had received; they said the most a person should have for this procedure is six in one year.

The following week, I had the surgery. I had seven left shoulder surgeries and a severe right shoulder surgery due to excessive force. I’ve had two hip replacements and a knee replacement, and I have faced cancer twice.

My dog, Rocko, has held me together through all of this. He is my firstborn, and I promised him we would move to a warm climate. I have four specialists and three doctors from three hospitals, and they all told me that, although I am 53 years old, my body is functioning like it is 75—and it’s only getting worse. I was also diagnosed with degenerative bone disease.

With so much metal in my neck, hips, and knees, and soon my left shoulder, the news just keeps getting worse. I found out that Rocko has six months or less to live; he is 15 years old and suffers from a large heart murmur. He takes four pills twice a day. Three years ago, I discovered that Rocko's sister had puppies. Of her seven puppies, only one looked like Rocko, and I took him in. Rocko has raised him.

This is Rocko's last holiday, and I'm unsure how much I can take in this cold weather.

This summer, I was so depressed I stayed home, which wasn't healthy. I have no control. My goal was to use the lawsuit money, move to Puerto Rico, and live with my 3-year-old son, rocko Nephew. That is my

miracle.