News Release/Article
Topics: Human Interest; Children’s Health; Emerging Medicine; Philanthropy
Release Date: January 31, 2011
PHOTOS of MATTHEW GAL OF BRIDGE VIEW, IL, ATTACHED SEPARATELY
ABM’s “Undercover Boss” Sends Employee’s Son to
Intensive Therapy Program inMichigan
Henrik Slipsager, President & CEO of ABM Industries, went undercover last year as a high-rise window washer named “Edward” on CBS’s Undercover Boss(Sundays 9-10pm). While undercover, Slipsager found himself learning the trade from Piotr Gal of Bridge View, Illinois, an ABM window washer supervisor of 14 years. Gal explained that he had been told that they were filming for an ABM video on safety so he wasn’t suspicious of the cameramen that followed him and his new co-worker. “I was happy to help,”commentedGal during a recent telephone interview.
While working undercover, Slipsager learned about Gal’s personal struggles with getting help for his 7-year-old son, Matthew, who has cerebral palsy. Gal spoke to “Edward” about his dream of bringing his son to a specialized intensive therapy program in Michigan called Euro-Peds ( based at Doctors’ Hospital of Michigan, where children with cerebral palsy are given the time and personalized therapy that allow them to learn new skills. Euro-Peds also administers “suit therapy,” which was inspired by a program in Poland, making it all the more attractive to Gal who had immigrated to the US from Poland in 1994. The only drawback to taking Matthew to Euro-Peds was that Gal’s health insurance would not cover the cost of the specialized therapy program.
The story stuck with Slipsager. By the end of the Undercover Boss episode, Gal was flown to New York for what he thought was an “evaluation.” Instead, his former window-washing co-worker walked into the room in a suit and introduced himself as ABM’s CEO. Slipsager then informed Gal that ABM was going to fund two intensive therapy sessions at Euro-Peds for Matthew.
Piotr arrived with Matthew in Michigan for his first two-week session on Monday, January 31. Matthew will be participating in “suit therapy” and working with specially-trained therapists 20 hours per week (four hours per day, five days per week) so that he can learn to walk independently. He hopes to return in June 2011 for his second session, Gal noted during a telephone interview.
“Matthew can walk but he gets tired easily and he doesn’t have the balance or confidence to walk independently. I would like to see him become more stable and strong after going to Euro-Peds,” added Gal.
ABM will be paying for the travel and hotel expenses for the 2-week period in addition to the $6000 for Matthew’s suit therapy and intensive therapy program at Euro-Peds.
For more information about Euro-PedsNationalCenter for Intensive Pediatric Physical Therapy, contact:Anne Mancour, Communication Coordinator, (248) 857-6979, , or go to
Euro-Peds was established in 1999 as the first hospital-based intensive pediatric physical therapy program in North America. The licensed therapists are specialized in treating children with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and other non-progressive gross motor disorders. The therapy was inspired by east European methods and concepts of intensity with the goal of creating new and lasting functional skills throughout intense bouts of therapy that are up to 20 hours per week. The program is based out of Doctors’ Hospital of Michigan in Pontiac.
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