Palatine Resident Presented With Winning NMEDA Mobility Van

Palatine resident Steve Herbst was presented with a brand new mobility van in Villa Park Wednesday afternoon.

Herbst was one of three winners in the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) 2013 Local Heroes contest.

More than 1,100 people entered the contest, and the winners were chosen based on the number of votes they received, and their personal story of triumph.

Palatine residents, in addition to people around the world, rallied for Herbst, by recommending and 'liking' the articles leading up to his win on Palatine Patch and the Palatine Patch Facebook page. 

"It is super humbling to log onto Facebook in the morning, before I even have breakfast and see how multiple people have posted voting information to their friends on Facebook," Herbst said in a previous interview. "To know that people are waking up and thinking of voting for me, I am unbelievably appreciative. It’s people from all over the world." 

In 1980 as he was playing football for Palatine High School, Herbst was tackled and suffered a devastating injury. His spinal cord was severed, causing him to become a quadriplegic.

Since then, Herbst has not let that aspect of his life stop him from achieving many things, including having a family, a successful career and being involved in the Palatine community through volunteering and civic duty. 

Congratulations Steve. You're a true inspiration for all of us.