Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano recently honored West Hempstead native Gabriel Cordell, who completed his 99 day cross-country wheelchair trek across America.
Cordell set out in a conventional wheelchair on April 1 from Santa Monica, California. His team of six traveled more than 3,100 miles and reached their final destination of West Hempstead, New York on July 9.
Cordell, 42, grew up in West Hempstead where he attended Chestnut Street Elementary and West Hempstead Middle and High Schools. In 1992, Cordell’s life was changed forever when on his way to his first acting audition a driver failed to stop at a red light. As a result of the accident, Cordell spent four months undergoing extensive rehabilitation and recovering at the Rusk Institute in NYC.
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Cordell and his team are in the process of producing a full length documentary entitled Roll With Me: A Journey Across America. Their hope is to inspire other people to also reach their goals.
Cordell would also like to bring awareness to the Rusk Institute which he credits with having helped him in his recovery. County Executive Mangano also congratulated John Hanna (pictured left) for supporting his cousin Gabriel in this monumental endeavor.
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