$15,000 Raised to Help Officer With Lou Gehrig’s Disease

More than 700 people raised nearly $15,000 Saturday at a Newport Beach gathering for a retired Santa Ana police officer who was recently found to have Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Orange County law enforcement officials and other dignitaries--including Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove)--paid tribute to Cpl. Mike Fleet, who served 28 years with Santa Ana police before retiring 16 months ago.

“He was one of those guys who was always there for you in a tight situation,” said Sgt. Mark Nichols, president of the Santa Ana Police Officers Assn.

“He’s a great personality. . . . He touched a lot of people.”

Fleet had planned to retire to a new home in Texas more than a year ago when doctors told him of his illness.

Friends said his condition quickly deteriorated, robbing him of use of his legs and arms unless helped by others.

“He was a valiant and intrepid officer, and then this kind of thing happens,” said Santa Ana Police Cpl. Tony Miranda, who helped organize the $15-a-head lunch at the American Legion Hall.

“This life is sometimes very unfair.”

Lou Gehrig’s disease--or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis--is an uncontrollable condition that destroys motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, eventually causing paralysis and death.

ALS strikes about 4,600 people each year in the United States.

Fleet and his wife, Carol, were overwhelmed by the response from local stores and police officers who donated so generously, Miranda said.

The family, he added, intends to use the money to pay for a wheelchair and nursing care, which can sometimes reach $3,000 a month.

Organizers of Saturday’s event expressed hope that money will continue to be donated to help the family.