Gift for slain EMT kin
THE FAMILY of slain FDNY EMT Yadira Arroyo was gifted Saturday with an allexpenses-paid, week-long trip to Disney World compliments of a New Jersey charity.
Three of Arroyo’s five sons were on hand at Station 26 in the Bronx for a ceremony organized by the Bianca’s Kids foundation.
“When I heard the story of Yadira’s children, basically I related with them more than most,” said Debbie Savigliano, the organization’s president.
Arroyo, 44, was killed in the Bronx on March 16 after a deranged man commandeered her ambulance and ran her over.
The 14-year FDNY veteran (photo right) was working an overtime shift at the time.
Savigliano’s charity — named after her niece Bianca Yodice, who was killed by a speeding car while crossing a Garden State road in August 2010 — grants wishes to children and families struck by tragedies.
Savigliano knew she had to act when she heard of Arroyo’s tragic death. “I said, ‘This is a wish, not only do we want to do it, but I think it should be the biggest wish that we’ve ever granted,’ ” Savigliano recalled. Jose Montes, 24, Arroyo’s oldest son, said his mother’s death has brought the brothers together in ways they never imagined. “We’ve been communicating more than we ever have in our entire lives,” Montes said.