Riding the road to recovery

COEUR d'ALENE - A Coeur d'Alene police officer who is still recovering more than five years after being shot in the line of duty a few days after Christmas will get a gift to help with that recovery, thanks to help from the community he was helping to protect.

A pancake breakfast to raise money to buy Mike Kralicek a tandem recumbent bicycle was held Saturday morning at Applebee's, with police and other emergency personnel joined by the public with the goal of raising $4,000 for the purchase.

"It will be something for them to get away on, have a little fun and relax," said Gary Dagastine, owner of Northwest Recumbent Cycles in Post Falls, which will provide the custom bike, with a retail price of $7,000, at below cost.

Because Kralicek still has limited physical functions, the bike will be designed for independent pedaling by one or two operators. "If he's having problems, he can stop pedaling," Dagastine said.

His strength is still limited after being shot while assisting Kootenai County Sheriff deputies with an arrest in a hit-and-run incident shortly after midnight on Dec. 28, 2004. The man who shot Kralicek in the face was killed by deputies who returned fire.

Even getting up for his own breakfast benefit was a chore.

"I have a hard time in the morning," Kralicek said. "Sometimes I pass out."

That is the result of low pulse and blood pressure, he said.

More than 400 turned out, at $5 each, for the pancake breakfast, with $3 of each going to the fund.

"I am overwhelmed," Kralicek said. "I still feel bad about everybody doing so much. It's not their responsibility to keep taking care of me."

But those who came out to eat and donate thought differently.

"I think it's appropriate for people in the community to pitch in and help somebody out," said Barry McHugh, Kootenai County prosecutor.

"Sometimes it's hard to accept kindness. I appreciate that he feels that way."

The community's reaction to the incident was demonstrated less than a month after the shooting, when a .357 Magnum bullet went through Kralicek's cheek, severing his carotid artery and lodging in the back of his neck. He was unconscious for two weeks after the shooting. In January, 2005, $100,000 was raised during a community fundraiser.

Kralicek has exceeded expectations on his long road to recovery.

"They told me I wouldn't be able to breathe on my own, and I would be on a ventilator for the rest of my life," he said.

This year, he is working on getting his online bachelor's degree in psychology, and is working with other police agencies to provide counseling to officers injured on duty.

Volunteering, actually, because of his disability.

"I can't work again," he said. "I can volunteer. I can't earn money again."

Kralicek, who has been traveling as a motivational speaker, already has 10 appointments with agencies ranging from the Carolinas to Phoenix, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Texas.

The community and some good friends have helped him beat the odds.

This year Kralicek's best bud Brett Surplus, son of a former Coeur d'Alene police officer and a former Shoshone County officer, who brought him to the breakfast and often takes him to his therapy sessions, will help him take another step in his recovery.

"He's going to take me hunting this year," Kralicek said. "I can get into my truck now."

His lifted 4-by-4 was almost sold after the shooting, because he thought he would never be able to climb in again.

Twice a week, for an hour per session, Kralicek works on his cardio strength and his balance.

Now, he is looking forward to bike rides on area's trails with wife Carrie or his buddy Surplus, who promises a summer bikini hunt.

He tried out a single-seat recumbent bike, but will need help going out on his own.

"I haven't been on the trail since 2004," Kralicek said. "He will be the navigator."