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“Pepaw” is rallying.
Hospitalized in what his family believed were to be his final days, Alan Beck — a retired NYPD officer from Rocky Point and a devoted grandfather and family man — is now showing signs of recovery.
His son, Michael, launched a GoFundMe campaign four days ago to help cover funeral costs and daily expenses after Beck’s disability pension — the household’s main income — was reportedly halted.
But over the weekend, the family shared an unexpected update: Beck is improving. And if he returns home, his son said, all donations, which are now just short of $16,000, will be refunded.
“We were [originally] notified by the hospital [that] Alan had a 0% chance of ever breathing again on his own and [they] said he’d have to live in a nursing home with a breathing machine, dialysis etc.,” Michael Beck said last night on the GoFundMe page. “We had plans to pull the plug for yesterday [Friday] and miraculously he started breathing on his own through the night.”
Michael Beck noted that health workers removed a ventilator that was helping his dad breathe.
“But he’s far from out of the woods right now,” Michael Beck said. “His liver and kidneys are still in bad shape but the outlook is better than it was a day ago.”
Embraces his role as ‘Pepaw’
The retired police officer’s greatest joy in recent years has been his role as “Pepaw.”
The fundraiser describes a man who “lived for his family,” especially his grandson, Oriax. The two share a powerful bond — so close, the family says, that Oriax “revolves his entire world” around his grandfather. A photo of the pair, smiling together, has is a testament to their special relationship and it has become the emotional centerpiece of the fundraising campaign.
“He is more than a grandfather,” Michael Beck wrote. “He is a second father, a role model, a light in the darkest of times.”
Beck is known for being present — at school events, birthdays and daily routines — always ready with a laugh or a word of encouragement.
“He is our Pepaw,” the fundraiser reads. “He brought joy, laughter and warmth to everyone he met.”
Veteran police officer
Beck served 18 years with the NYPD’s 114th Precinct in Queens. Support has poured in from the Rocky Point and Miller Place communities, where the Becks have long been known as dependable, caring neighbors.
“Robyne and Alan Beck were always there for every single one of us,” Brittany Vitrano wrote in a public Facebook post. “They were the ‘go to parents’ and would have done anything for any of us. Now they need us.”
The GoFundMe continues to draw donations and messages of support.
Top photo: Alan Beck with his grandson (GoFundMe).
