Motorcycle ride to honour victim of violent assault
In May 2013, 21-year-old Desiree Gallagher was brutally beaten and ended up falling from a sevenstorey balcony.
As a result, she ended up blind from a brain injury and in a wheelchair with her back broken in two places.
In an instant, the young, active girl who danced, played sports and loved life was changed forever.
Two years later, she died from her injuries after falling into a coma and being taken off lifesupport.
Now, her mother, Susan Gerth, is doing her best to bring something positive out of the situation, in honour and memory of her daughter.
On Saturday, Desiree’s Ride comes to Niagara, raising money for two support groups — Victim Services Niagara and Women’s Place of South Niagara.
The motorcycle ride will start at Kingsbridge Park on Niagara Parkway in Niagara Falls at 11 a.m., taking riders through Fort Erie and ending up at the Knights of Columbus auditorium in Niagara Falls at about 3 p.m. The ride is followed by a barbecue and live music.
Gerth said she’s creating events such as this to raise awareness for victims of crime and to continue her daughter’s legacy.
In the past four years since Gallagher was assaulted, Gerth’s non-profit charity, Desiree’s Angels Victims for a New Start, has raised more than $40,000.
“It’s been a tough four years,” said Gerth, describing her daughter as a lover of people and animals and a fighter who never gave up on her hopes of making a full recovery.
“She was a fun-loving girl. She loved her friends, she was very happy — a social butterfly.
“She danced from age three to Grade 12 … I made her quit in Grade 12 because she had a job and she went to play rugby at school — the total opposite.”
Gallagher was in full-time care at a recovery centre in Brantford when she fell into a coma. It was after that her family made the decision to take her off life-support.
Gallagher was assaulted by Justin Primmer, who is now serving an indefinite sentence for a history of physical abuse, and who in May was declared by the courts a dangerous offender.
Primmer, a former MMA fighter and convicted killer, had assaulted women before.
He was convicted of assault causing bodily harm to Gallagher, but wasn’t charged for the catastrophic fall made from his seventh-floor balcony.
Garth said her daughter didn’t know Primmer when she was assaulted, the incident occurring the first time they had met, following a party at Primmer’s apartment after everybody else had left.
“You never know when you’re going to become a victim,” Gerth said.
Gallagher was finishing a biotech course at Mohawk College when she was assaulted, having only five credits left to achieve in the three-year program.
“I get choked up a lot. As a parent, losing your child is the worst thing ever. You don’t know until you go through it … It doesn’t get any easier.”
The investigation into how Gallagher fell from the balcony is still ongoing, said Gerth.
For more information about the ride and to follow Desiree’s Angels you can visit, desireesride.com.