Mark Tartaglia

In the fall of 2002, eighteen-year-old Mark Tartaglia was a college freshman at Vermont Technical College pursuing a degree in construction management. He looked forward to the upcoming winter break and spending time with friends and family. On December 30, Mark decided to go snowmobiling with friends.

He was rushed to Hartford Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. As a result of the accident, Mark sustained a complete T4 spinal cord injury, along with multiple bone breaks including his scapula, collarbone and multiple ribs. In addition, his aorta was punctured by a piece of bone fragment. The resulting hospitalization and rehab was extensive, but Mark was determined to continue on the path he started. He went on to complete his degree in construction management, and upon graduation went to work for a steel fabricator in East Hartford, Connecticut as an estimator. The recession ended that job, but he found another as an assistant project manager for a mechanical contractor. Six years ago, Mark went to work for Automated Building Systems, where he is a controls application engineer responsible for laying out Alerton control systems for buildings. He has tried advancing into product management positions, but is limited to office positions due to jobsite accessibility constraints. Mark prides himself on working for a living and not receiving any assistance for his disability, but money is tight.

Mark and his wife live in a rural part of Connecticut, northeast of Hartford. Like many homes in the area, theirs is an older, 1824 ft.² home with the master located on the second floor. While they have been making the living room their bedroom, changes are in order. Mark and his wife wants to adopt a child, and being able to get upstairs is a crucial piece of making that happen. That led Mark to research the Internet, where he came upon our foundation and requested a stair lift.

After the lift was installed, Mark wrote, “Thank you soooo much for selecting me for this grant! The stair lift was installed today, they did a great job and I’m completely satisfied with the lift and the installation. Thank you again, it is greatly appreciated.”