LITTLETON, Colo. — Hundreds of bikers gathered Sunday to raise money for first-responders injured in the line of duty. The 6th annual MC-1 Honor Run was held in Littleton.
Cem Duzel is a hero.
The Colorado Springs Police Officer was shot in the head while on duty in August of last year.
"Amazingly his recovery has really come a long way," said Traci Miller, MC-1 Foundation volunteer.
After a year of surgeries and rehab, Duzel recently went home to his family in New York. He watched the fundraiser from there as the money will go to help his recovery.
"It's really up to what Cem needs," said Miller. "I know he has a device for helping him with his leg for walking so anything out of pocket or extraordinary expenses he can use that for."
Former Denver Police Officer John Adsit knows what Duzel is going through.
He was injured five years ago when guarding a group of protestors on his motorcycle when he was hit by a car.
"It was completely life-changing," said Adsit."My incident is almost five years old at this point, and I'm still going through surgeries."
Then there's former Rio Grande Sheriff Deputy Michael Pino. He fell 14-feet and shattered his leg on duty.
"It's been an emotional roller coaster over the past 10 months," said Pino.
Both men also received help from the MC-1 Foundation.
"It's meant everything to me. It's helped me pay a lot of bills — very incredible people," said Pino. "I'd be a lot worse. I'm physically drained, but I'd be mentally drained if I didn't have the support from these people. I don't know if I could've taken it."
That need never stops.
