This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 1:10 PM- His face bathed in sunlight, Stacy Hanson was all smiles Tuesday as he sat in a wheelchair on his newly paved driveway.
After spending nearly two months in University Hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to his lower back that left him paralyzed from the waist down, the 53-year-old was ecstatic to be home.
"This is just overwhelming," said Hanson, who was among nine victims during a Feb. 12 shooting rampage at Trolley Square mall.
Neighbors, firefighters, Salt Lake City police officers - including Chief Chris Burbank - and Ogden Officer Ken Hammond, who helped stop 18-year-old shooter Sulejman Talovic, were among the 50 or so well-wishers who showed up to welcome Hanson home.
With his wife Colleen and 16-year-old son Alexander at his side, Hanson waited to see the inside of his Sugar House home for the first time since it was renovated by community volunteers to make it wheelchair accessible.
Narrow doorways were made wider. The bathroom was made bigger. Even the Hanson's pitted driveway was repaved to make it a smooth ride for Hanson in his wheelchair.
The Heart 2 Home Foundation, Platinum Homes, Home Depot and ABC 4 News teamed up up to make it happen.
But that wasn't all.
Eagle Gate College and First Utah Bank handed Hanson an $8,146 check for the "Stacy Hanson Education Fund" to help send his boy to college. Radio station 101.5 The Eagle gave him a basketful of country music CDs and two tickets to the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill concert here in June.
Hanson struggled to find the words to express his gratitude.
"I can't believe it," he said. "I just cannot believe it."
Hammond, who helped Hanson the night of the shooting, said it was "absolutely amazing" to see Hanson at home, doing well.
"The first time that I met Stacy it was a very scary situation for both of us. It scared me very, very bad," he said. "When I saw him in the hospital a few weeks after that, it still scared me. But to see him sitting here today is absolutely amazing. The fact that you guys have come together and taken care of him and redid his house, is just something. It says a lot about the community here."
Despite the horror of the shooting and the long road to recovery ahead of him, Hanson said his experience has taught them that the world is still a good place.
"Good friends and good people - this world is full of them," he said. "And this proves it."
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